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Open Access
Featured
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Research Briefing |
Hydrogel fibers that enable optogenetic pain inhibition during locomotion
We developed fatigue-resistant hydrogel optical fibers through the controlled growth of polymeric nanocrystalline domains to enable light delivery to peripheral nerves during locomotion. The hydrogel fibers withstand locomotion strain across more than 30,000 fiber stretch cycles and enable the optogenetic inhibition of pain hypersensitivity in naturally behaving mice.
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Article |
Fatigue-resistant hydrogel optical fibers enable peripheral nerve optogenetics during locomotion
Flexible and fatigue-resistant optical fibers made from hydrogel allow optogenetic manipulations in the periphery in freely behaving mice.
- Xinyue Liu
- , Siyuan Rao
- & Xuanhe Zhao
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Article
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Spatiotemporal, optogenetic control of gene expression in organoids
A workflow combining optogenetic perturbations with spatial transcriptomics to program spatiotemporal gene expression patterns in organoids.
- Ivano Legnini
- , Lisa Emmenegger
- & Nikolaus Rajewsky
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Article |
Neural engineering with photons as synaptic transmitters
PhAST is a technology for establishing de novo or modulating synaptic transmission in a light-dependent manner in C. elegans. By combining a calcium-dependent luciferase on pre-synapses with channelrhodopsin on post-synapses, light serves as a synthetic neurotransmitter.
- Montserrat Porta-de-la-Riva
- , Adriana Carolina Gonzalez
- & Michael Krieg
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Brief Communication |
In vivo photopharmacology with a caged mu opioid receptor agonist drives rapid changes in behavior
CNV-Y-DAMGO enables photopharmacological manipulations of mu opioid receptor signaling in behaving mice with high temporal resolution.
- Xiang Ma
- , Desiree A. Johnson
- & Matthew R. Banghart
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News & Views |
Controlling cellular activities with light
New red–green optogenetic dimerizers enable the switching on and off of gene expression with high spatiotemporal precision.
- Yao-Wen Wu
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Article |
Engineering of bidirectional, cyanobacteriochrome-based light-inducible dimers (BICYCL)s
Bidirectional, cyanobacteriochrome-based light-inducible dimers (BICYCL)s enable optogenetic control of protein–protein interactions with green and red light, allowing multiplexing with existing blue light-controlled tools.
- Jaewan Jang
- , Kun Tang
- & G. Andrew Woolley
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Brief Communication |
LILAC: enhanced actin imaging with an optogenetic Lifeact
LILAC is a photoactivatable version of Lifeact, a tool for labeling F-actin. LILAC can help avoid cytotoxicity, which is sometimes associated with the use of Lifeact.
- Kourtney L. Kroll
- , Alexander R. French
- & Ronald S. Rock
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Article |
Video-based pooled screening yields improved far-red genetically encoded voltage indicators
The Photopick platform, which can be used for phenotype-activated cell selection, was used to develop the improved voltage sensors QuasAr6a and QuasAr6b. These GEVIs offer improved signals and are useful for all-optical electrophysiology.
- He Tian
- , Hunter C. Davis
- & Adam E. Cohen
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Research Highlight |
Light-gated potassium channels from nature
Researchers have discovered two naturally occurring channelrhodopsins for potassium ion transport that can be used in optogenetic applications.
- Rita Strack
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Article |
A general approach for engineering RTKs optically controlled with far-red light
A suite of eight optogenetic receptor tyrosine kinases controlled by conformational changes in bacterial phytochrome induced by far-red light is introduced. These optogenetic tools perform well in cells and in the brain of behaving mice.
- Anna V. Leopold
- , Stephen Thankachan
- & Vladislav V. Verkhusha
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Research Highlight |
Potent optogenetics
Two groups report improved variants of the channelrhodopsins ChRmine and ChroME, respectively.
- Nina Vogt
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Technology Feature |
Neuroscientists go wireless
To study the neural complexities of animals moving though physical and social space, labs increasingly turn to wireless technology.
- Vivien Marx
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Article |
Chronically implantable LED arrays for behavioral optogenetics in primates
An implantable array of LEDs called the Opto-Array facilitates optogenetic manipulations in the nonhuman primate brain.
- Rishi Rajalingham
- , Michael Sorenson
- & Arash Afraz
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Review Article |
A guide to the optogenetic regulation of endogenous molecules
This Review discusses optogenetic tools for manipulating endogenous targets such as genes and signaling pathways in a physiological range.
- Kyrylo Yu. Manoilov
- , Vladislav V. Verkhusha
- & Daria M. Shcherbakova
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Research Highlight |
Optogenetic silencing at synaptic terminals
GPCR-based opsins can be harnessed to inhibit neurotransmission via inhibitory G protein signaling.
- Nina Vogt
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Article |
EthoLoop: automated closed-loop neuroethology in naturalistic environments
EthoLoop enables real-time tracking and behavioral analysis of animals in naturalistic environments and can be combined with behavioral conditioning, optogenetic stimulation or wireless recording of neural activity. The system is illustrated with freely behaving mice and mouse lemurs.
- Ali Nourizonoz
- , Robert Zimmermann
- & Daniel Huber
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Article |
Optogenetic control of gene expression in plants in the presence of ambient white light
PULSE is an optogenetic tool that consists of two modules with different wavelength sensitivities. Their interplay enables optogenetic access to gene expression in plants independently of ambient light.
- Rocio Ochoa-Fernandez
- , Nikolaj B. Abel
- & Matias D. Zurbriggen
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Review Article |
Scanless two-photon excitation with temporal focusing
This Review discusses temporal focusing microscopy and its applications in neuroscience for imaging and optogenetic activation.
- Eirini Papagiakoumou
- , Emiliano Ronzitti
- & Valentina Emiliani
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Research Highlight |
Controlling mRNA localization with light
An optogenetic approach allows researchers to probe how mRNA localization affects cellular processes.
- Rita Strack
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Article |
RecV recombinase system for in vivo targeted optogenomic modifications of single cells or cell populations
Light-dependent variants of Cre, Dre and Flp enable targeted sparse or single-cell labeling in mouse and zebrafish.
- Shenqin Yao
- , Peng Yuan
- & Ali Cetin
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Article |
Machine learning-guided channelrhodopsin engineering enables minimally invasive optogenetics
An engineering approach guided by machine learning results in high-performance channelrhodopsin variants that are suitable for systemic viral delivery and illumination through a thinned skull.
- Claire N. Bedbrook
- , Kevin K. Yang
- & Frances H. Arnold
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Research Highlight |
Non-invasive and fast control of neural activity
Chemomagnetics enable remote and non-invasive modulation of neural activity in behaving mice.
- Nina Vogt
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Article |
FRET-assisted photoactivation of flavoproteins for in vivo two-photon optogenetics
Fusion to fluorescent proteins enables efficient two-photon activation of blue-light-controlled optical dimerizers via FRET. FRET-assisted photoactivation was used to study extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation in 3D epithelial cysts, organoids and living mice.
- Tomoaki Kinjo
- , Kenta Terai
- & Michiyuki Matsuda
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Research Highlight |
Optogenetics turns up the heat
Illuminating the brain for optogenetic experiments can have undesirable effects on neural activity.
- Nina Vogt
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Article |
High-density multi-fiber photometry for studying large-scale brain circuit dynamics
High-density arrays of optical fibers enable monitoring and manipulation of neural activity at large scale across many brain regions. The multi-fiber arrays can be used in head-fixed tasks, in freely behaving animals and during social interactions.
- Yaroslav Sych
- , Maria Chernysheva
- & Fritjof Helmchen
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Research Highlight |
Optogenetic tools light up phase separation
Researchers have developed two optogenetic tools for probing and controlling phase separation in living cells.
- Lei Tang
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Article |
A compressed sensing framework for efficient dissection of neural circuits
A compressed sensing approach enables the identification of key neurons involved in a particular behavior with few measurements, using genetic tools with limited specificity. The approach is demonstrated in the C. elegans interneuron circuitry.
- Jeffrey B. Lee
- , Abdullah Yonar
- & Sharad Ramanathan
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Research Highlight |
Expanding the optogenetics toolkit
Flipping opsins within the membrane diversifies the array of available optogenetics tools.
- Kate Gao
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Brief Communication |
Closed-loop all-optical interrogation of neural circuits in vivo
A closed-loop all-optical strategy allows manipulation of neurons on the basis of their ongoing activity and can be used to clamp neuronal activity to a preset level, boost sensory-evoked activity or yoke together the activity of trigger and target neurons.
- Zihui Zhang
- , Lloyd E. Russell
- & Michael Häusser
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This Month |
Anna Moroni
An optogenetic tool for inhibiting neurons and how to sail across the Tree of Life.
- Vivien Marx
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Article |
A light-gated potassium channel for sustained neuronal inhibition
BLINK2 is a light-activated potassium channel for optogenetic inhibition of neuronal activity. Alberio et al. apply the tool in systems as diverse as cultured rat neurons, mouse brain slices, behaving zebrafish and a rat model of neuropathic pain.
- Laura Alberio
- , Andrea Locarno
- & Anna Moroni
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Brief Communication |
Engineered anti-CRISPR proteins for optogenetic control of CRISPR–Cas9
CASANOVA uses LOV and blue light to regulate CRISPR activity.
- Felix Bubeck
- , Mareike D. Hoffmann
- & Dominik Niopek
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Article |
All-optical synaptic electrophysiology probes mechanism of ketamine-induced disinhibition
The synOptopatch approach enables all-optical access to synaptic communication via mutually exclusive expression of an optogenetic actuator and a voltage sensor in pre- and postsynaptic neurons, respectively.
- Linlin Z. Fan
- , Ralda Nehme
- & Adam E. Cohen
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Research Highlight |
A home for brain organoids
Inside a mouse brain, human cerebral organoids can show their potential.
- Tal Nawy
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Research Highlights |
Minimally invasive optogenetics
Upconversion nanoparticles can serve as intermediaries to illuminate optogenetic tools in the mouse brain.
- Nina Vogt
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Tools in Brief |
Optimized light-dependent dimerization
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Brief Communication |
CRISPR–Cas9-based photoactivatable transcription systems to induce neuronal differentiation
Blue-light-inducible CRISPR-based transcriptional activation systems achieve high enough endogenous gene expression to trigger the differentiation of iPSCs.
- Yuta Nihongaki
- , Yuichi Furuhata
- & Moritoshi Sato
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Research Highlights |
Tailoring optogenetic illumination through tapered fibers
A tapered optical fiber delivers spatially precise and efficient optogenetic illumination to the rodent brain.
- Nina Vogt
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Research Highlights |
A light switch for kinases
A photodissociable dimer of the Dronpa fluorescent protein can cage kinases, making these important signal transducers controllable by light.
- Nina Vogt
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Tools in Brief |
Optogenetic protein regulation at near-infrared wavelengths
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Article |
Temporally precise labeling and control of neuromodulatory circuits in the mammalian brain
iTango confers access to neuromodulation-sensitive subsets of neurons in a functionally defined and temporally controlled manner. The tool allows for manipulating the subset of neurons that are activated by dopamine during a behavior of interest.
- Dongmin Lee
- , Meaghan Creed
- & Hyung-Bae Kwon
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Methods in Brief |
Optogenetic feedback in real time
An optogenetic method for the controlled release of single molecules