Visualizing voltage dynamics in zebrafish heart

The zebrafish heart provides a useful vertebrate cardiovascular model with outstanding advantages, including genetic manipulatability, optical accessibility and rapid development. In addition, an emerging topic in cardiotoxicity assay and drug discovery is its use in phenotype-based chemical screening. Here, we report a technique that allows non-invasive voltage mapping in beating heart using a genetically encoded probe for transmembrane potential. Application of the anti-allergy compound astemizole resulted in aberrant propagation of excitation, which accounted for a lack of ventricular contraction. This optical method will provide new opportunities in broad areas of physiological, developmental and pharmacological cardiovascular research.