Holographic two-photon activation for synthetic optogenetics

Ido Carmi, Marco De Battista, Laura Maddalena, Elizabeth C. Carroll, Michael A. Kienzler, Shai Berlin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Optogenetic tools provide users the ability to photocontrol the activity of cells. Commonly, activation is achieved by expression of proteins from photosynthetic organisms, for example, microbial opsins (e.g., ChR2). Alternatively, a sister approach, synthetic optogenetics, enables photocontrol over proteins of mammalian origin by use of photoswitches, visible light (typically), and genetic modification. Thus, synthetic optogenetics facilitates interrogation of native neuronal signaling mechanisms. However, the poor tissue penetration of visible wavelengths impedes the use of the technique in tissue, as two-photon excitation (2PE) is typically required to access the near-infrared window. Here, we describe an alternative technique that uses 2PE-compatible photoswitches (section 1) for photoactivation of genetically modified glutamate receptors (section 2). Furthermore, for fast, multi-region photoactivation, we describe the use of 2P-digital holography (2P-DH) (section 3). We detail how to combine 2P-DH and synthetic optogenetics with electrophysiology, or with red fluorescence Ca 2+ recordings, for all-optical neural interrogation. The time required to complete the methods, aside from obtaining the necessary reagents and illumination equipment, is ~3 weeks.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)864-900
JournalNature Protocols
Volume14
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2019

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Holographic two-photon activation for synthetic optogenetics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this