Brief Communication abstract


Nature Neuroscience 11, 631 - 633 (2008)
Published online: 23 April 2008 | doi:10.1038/nn.2120

Red-shifted optogenetic excitation: a tool for fast neural control derived from Volvox carteri

Feng Zhang1, Matthias Prigge2, Florent Beyrière2, Satoshi P Tsunoda2, Joanna Mattis1, Ofer Yizhar1, Peter Hegemann2 & Karl Deisseroth1

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The introduction of two microbial opsin–based tools, channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) and halorhodopsin (NpHR), to neuroscience has generated interest in fast, multimodal, cell type–specific neural circuit control. Here we describe a cation-conducting channelrhodopsin (VChR1) from Volvox carteri that can drive spiking at 589 nm, with excitation maximum red-shifted approx70 nm compared with ChR2. These results demonstrate fast photostimulation with yellow light, thereby defining a functionally distinct third category of microbial rhodopsin proteins.

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  1. Departments of Bioengineering and Psychiatry, W083 Clark Center, 318 Campus Drive, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
  2. Institute of Biology, Experimental Biophysics, Humboldt-University, Invalidenstras zlige 42, D-10115 Berlin, Germany.

Correspondence to: Peter Hegemann2 e-mail: hegemape@rz.hu-berlin.de

Correspondence to: Karl Deisseroth1 e-mail: deissero@stanford.edu



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