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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

A DNA voltmeter exposes a cell’s electric inner life

Armed with a DNA core, a sensor can sneak into a cell and read out the voltage differences of the organelles inside.
Colour enhanced transmission electron micrograph of lysosomes.

A cellular lysosome (green; artificially coloured). A miniature device can measure the voltage difference across the outer membranes of lysosomes and other components of cells. Credit: SCIENCE SOURCE/SPL

From the beating of the heart to the workings of the brain, many biological processes rely on cells that use electricity to send signals. Researchers have now built a DNA-based tool that can measure the voltage differences between the insides and the outsides of membrane-wrapped structures called organelles, which are found in the cells of animals and other organisms.

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Nature 587, 179 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03079-6

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