Optogenetic Modulation of TrkB Signaling in the Mouse Brain

BDNF-TrkB signaling orchestrates the buildup process of local sleep

Sleep debt accumulates during wakefulness, leading to increased slow wave activity (SWA) during sleep, an encephalographic marker for sleep need. The use-dependent demands of prior wakefulness increase sleep SWA locally. However, the circuitry and molecular identity of this "local sleep" remain unclear. Using pharmacology and optogenetic perturbations together with transcriptomics, we find that cortical brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates SWA via the activation of tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) receptor and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB). We map BDNF/TrkB-induced sleep SWA to layer 5 (L5) pyramidal neurons of the cortex, independent of neuronal firing per se. Using mathematical modeling, we here propose a model of how BDNF's effects on synaptic strength can increase SWA in ways not achieved through increased firing alone. Proteomic analysis further reveals that TrkB activation enriches ubiquitin and proteasome subunits. Together, our study reveals that local SWA control is mediated by BDNF-TrkB-CREB signaling in L5 excitatory cortical neurons.

Real-time visualization of structural dynamics of synapses in live cells in vivo

The structural plasticity of synapses is crucial for regulating brain functions. However, currently available methods for studying synapse organization based on split fluorescent proteins (FPs) have been limited in assessing synaptic dynamics in vivo due to the irreversible binding of split FPs. Here, we develop 'SynapShot', a method for visualizing the structural dynamics of intact synapses by combining dimerization-dependent FPs (ddFPs) with engineered synaptic adhesion molecules. SynapShot allows real-time monitoring of reversible and bidirectional changes of synaptic contacts under physiological stimulation. The application of green and red ddFPs in SynapShot enables simultaneous visualization of two distinct populations of synapses. Notably, the red-shifted SynapShot is highly compatible with blue light-based optogenetic techniques, allowing for visualization of synaptic dynamics while precisely controlling specific signaling pathways. Furthermore, we demonstrate that SynapShot enables real-time monitoring of structural changes in synaptic contacts in the mouse brain during both primitive and higher-order behaviors.

Optogenetic dissection of RET signaling reveals robust activation of ERK and enhanced filopodia-like protrusions of regenerating axons

RET (REarranged during Transfection) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that transduces various external stimuli into biological functions, such as survival and differentiation, in neurons. In the current study, we developed an optogenetic tool for modulating RET signaling, termed optoRET, combining the cytosolic region of human RET with a blue-light-inducible homo-oligomerizing protein. By varying the duration of photoactivation, we were able to dynamically modulate RET signaling. Activation of optoRET recruited Grb2 (growth factor receptor-bound protein 2) and stimulated AKT and ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) in cultured neurons, evoking robust and efficient ERK activation. By locally activating the distal part of the neuron, we were able to retrogradely transduce the AKT and ERK signal to the soma and trigger formation of filopodia-like F-actin structures at stimulated regions through Cdc42 (cell division control 42) activation. Importantly, we successfully modulated RET signaling in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra in the mouse brain. Collectively, optoRET has the potential to be developed as a future therapeutic intervention, modulating RET downstream signaling with light.

Optogenetics for transcriptional programming and genetic engineering

Optogenetics combines genetics and biophotonics to enable noninvasive control of biological processes with high spatiotemporal precision. When engineered into protein machineries that govern the cellular information flow as depicted in the central dogma, multiple genetically encoded non-opsin photosensory modules have been harnessed to modulate gene transcription, DNA or RNA modifications, DNA recombination, and genome engineering by utilizing photons emitting in the wide range of 200-1000 nm. We present herein generally applicable modular strategies for optogenetic engineering and highlight latest advances in the broad applications of opsin-free optogenetics to program transcriptional outputs and precisely manipulate the mammalian genome, epigenome, and epitranscriptome. We also discuss current challenges and future trends in opsin-free optogenetics, which has been rapidly evolving to meet the growing needs in synthetic biology and genetics research.

Optical Activation of TrkB (E281A) in Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurons of the Mouse Visual Cortex

The activation of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), the receptor of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), plays a key role in induced juvenile-like plasticity (iPlasticity), which allows restructuring of neural networks in adulthood. Optically activatable TrkB (optoTrkB) can temporarily and spatially evoke iPlasticity, and recently, optoTrkB (E281A) was developed as a variant that is highly sensitive to light stimulation while having lower basal activity compared to the original optoTrkB. In this study, we validate optoTrkB (E281A) activated in alpha calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II positive (CKII⁺) pyramidal neurons or parvalbumin-positive (PV⁺) interneurons in the mouse visual cortex by immunohistochemistry. OptoTrkB (E281A) was activated in PV⁺ interneurons and CKII⁺ pyramidal neurons with blue light (488 nm) through the intact skull and fur, and through a transparent skull, respectively. LED light stimulation significantly increased the intensity of phosphorylated ERK and CREB even through intact skull and fur. These findings indicate that the highly sensitive optoTrkB (E281A) can be used in iPlasticity studies of both inhibitory and excitatory neurons, with flexible stimulation protocols in behavioural studies.

Light-activated receptor tyrosine kinases: Designs and applications

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are a large and essential membrane receptor family. The molecular mechanisms and physiological consequences of RTK activation depend on, for example, ligand identity, subcellular localization, and developmental or disease stage. In the past few years, genetically-encoded light-activated RTKs (Opto-RTKs) have been developed to dissect these complexities by providing reversible and spatio-temporal control over cell signaling. These methods have very recently matured to include highly-sensitive multi-color actuators. The new ability to regulate RTK activity with high precision has been recently harnessed to gain mechanistic insights in subcellular, tissue, and animal models. Because of their sophisticated engineering, Opto-RTKs may only mirror some aspects of natural activation mechanisms but nevertheless offer unique opportunities to study RTK signaling and physiology.

The emergence of molecular systems neuroscience

Systems neuroscience is focused on how ensemble properties in the brain, such as the activity of neuronal circuits, gives rise to internal brain states and behavior. Many of the studies in this field have traditionally involved electrophysiological recordings and computational approaches that attempt to decode how the brain transforms inputs into functional outputs. More recently, systems neuroscience has received an infusion of approaches and techniques that allow the manipulation (e.g., optogenetics, chemogenetics) and imaging (e.g., two-photon imaging, head mounted fluorescent microscopes) of neurons, neurocircuits, their inputs and outputs. Here, we will review novel approaches that allow the manipulation and imaging of specific molecular mechanisms in specific cells (not just neurons), cell ensembles and brain regions. These molecular approaches, with the specificity and temporal resolution appropriate for systems studies, promise to infuse the field with novel ideas, emphases and directions, and are motivating the emergence of a molecularly oriented systems neuroscience, a new discipline that studies how the spatial and temporal patterns of molecular systems modulate circuits and brain networks, and consequently shape the properties of brain states and behavior.

Optogenetic activation of intracellular signaling based on light-inducible protein-protein homo-interactions

Dynamic protein-protein interactions are essential for proper cell functioning. Homo-interaction events—physical interactions between the same type of proteins—represent a pivotal subset of protein-protein interactions that are widely exploited in activating intracellular signaling pathways. Capacities of modulating protein-protein interactions with spatial and temporal resolution are greatly desired to decipher the dynamic nature of signal transduction mechanisms. The emerging optogenetic technology, based on genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins, provides promising opportunities to dissect the highly complex signaling networks with unmatched specificity and spatiotemporal precision. Here we review recent achievements in the development of optogenetic tools enabling light-inducible protein-protein homo-interactions and their applications in optical activation of signaling pathways.

Light control of RTK activity: from technology development to translational research

Inhibition of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) by small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies is used to treat cancer. Conversely, activation of RTKs with their ligands, including growth factors and insulin, is used to treat diabetes and neurodegeneration. However, conventional therapies that rely on injection of RTK inhibitors or activators do not provide spatiotemporal control over RTK signaling, which results in diminished efficiency and side effects. Recently, a number of optogenetic and optochemical approaches have been developed that allow RTK inhibition or activation in cells and in vivo with light. Light irradiation can control RTK signaling non-invasively, in a dosed manner, with high spatio-temporal precision, and without the side effects of conventional treatments. Here we provide an update on the current state of the art of optogenetic and optochemical RTK technologies and the prospects of their use in translational studies and therapy.

Using rAAV2-retro in rhesus macaques: Promise and caveats for circuit manipulation

BACKGROUND

Recent genetic technologies such as opto- and chemogenetics allow for the manipulation of brain circuits with unprecedented precision. Most studies employing these techniques have been undertaken in rodents, but a more human-homologous model for studying the brain is the nonhuman primate (NHP). Optimizing viral delivery of transgenes encoding actuator proteins could revolutionize the way we study neuronal circuits in NHPs. NEW METHOD: rAAV2-retro, a popular new capsid variant, produces robust retrograde labeling in rodents. Whether rAAV2-retro's highly efficient retrograde transport would translate to NHPs was unknown. Here, we characterized the anatomical distribution of labeling following injections of rAAV2-retro encoding opsins or DREADDs in the cortico-basal ganglia and oculomotor circuits of rhesus macaques.

RESULTS

rAAV2-retro injections in striatum, frontal eye field, and superior colliculus produced local labeling at injection sites and robust retrograde labeling in many afferent regions. In every case, however, a few brain regions with well-established projections to the injected structure lacked retrogradely labeled cells. We also observed robust terminal field labeling in downstream structures.

COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S)

Patterns of labeling were similar to those obtained with traditional tract-tracers, except for some afferent labeling that was noticeably absent.

CONCLUSIONS

rAAV2-retro promises to be useful for circuit manipulation via retrograde transduction in NHPs, but caveats were revealed by our findings. Some afferently connected regions lacked retrogradely labeled cells, showed robust axon terminal labeling, or both. This highlights the importance of anatomically characterizing rAAV2-retro's expression in target circuits in NHPs before moving to manipulation studies.