Protocol for Quantifying Zinc Flux in Cultured Cells using Fluorescent Indicators

Zinc (Zn) plays a vital role in the functioning of the cell. Cells have influx and efflux zinc transporters to regulate the levels of Zn in the cytoplasm and organellar compartments to maintain homeostasis. We present a protocol to measure changes in cellular zinc concentrations using either a low-affinity membrane permeable or a high-affinity membrane impermeable fluorescent dye. Overall, zinc-specific fluorescent indicators using the assay can reliably detect the Zn flux into or out of cultured cells. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sanchez et al. (2019).