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Quan J, Yan H, Periyasami G, Li H. A Visible-Light Regulated ATP Transport in Retinal-Modified Pillar[6]arene Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembled Sub-Nanochannel. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202401045. [PMID: 38693094 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202401045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Natural light-responsive rhodopsins play a critical role in visual conversion, signal transduction, energy transmission, etc., which has aroused extensive interest in the past decade. Inspired by these gorgeous works of living beings, scientists have constructed various biomimetic light-responsive nanochannels to mimic the behaviors of rhodopsins. However, it is still challenging to build stimuli-responsive sub-nanochannels only regulated by visible light as the rhodopsins are always at the sub-nanometer level and regulated by visible light. Pillar[6]arenes have an open cavity of 6.7 Å, which can selectively recognize small organic molecules. They can be connected to ions of ammonium or carboxylate groups on the rims. Therefore, we designed and synthesized the amino and carboxyl-derived side chains of pillar[6]arenes with opposite charges. The sub-nanochannels were constructed through the electrostatic interaction of layer-by-layer self-assembled amino and carboxyl-derived pillar[6]arenes. Then, the natural chromophore of the retinal with visible light-responsive performance was modified on the upper edge of the sub-nanochannel to realize the visible light switched on and off. Finally, we successfully constructed a visible light-responsive sub-nanochannel, providing a novel method for regulating the selective transport of energy-donating molecules of ATP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Quan
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hanjiang Normal University, Shiyan, 442000, China
| | - Hewei Yan
- Key Laboratory of Jiangxi Province for Persistent Pollutants Control and Resources Recycle, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, P.R. China
| | - Govindasami Periyasami
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O.Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Haibing Li
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, P.R. China
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2
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Han Y, Wei X, Chen G, Shao E, Zhou Y, Li Y, Xiao Z, Shi X, Zheng H, Huang S, Chen Y, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Liao Y, Liao W, Bin J, Wang Y, Li X. Optogenetic Stimulation of the Cardiac Vagus Nerve to Promote Heart Regenerative Repair after Myocardial Infarction. Int J Biol Sci 2024; 20:2072-2091. [PMID: 38617528 PMCID: PMC11008277 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.89883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: It had been shown that selective cardiac vagal activation holds great potential for heart regeneration. Optogenetics has clinical translation potential as a novel means of modulating targeted neurons. This study aimed to investigate whether cardiac vagal activation via optogenetics could improve heart regenerative repair after myocardial infarction (MI) and to identify the underlying mechanism. Methods: We used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) as the vector to deliver ChR2, a light-sensitive protein, to the left nodose ganglion (LNG). To assess the effects of the cardiac vagus nerve on cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation and myocardial regeneration in vivo, the light-emitting diode illumination (470 nm) was applied for optogenetic stimulation to perform the gain-of-function experiment and the vagotomy was used as a loss-of-function assay. Finally, sequencing data and molecular biology experiments were analyzed to determine the possible mechanisms by which the cardiac vagus nerve affects myocardial regenerative repair after MI. Results: Absence of cardiac surface vagus nerve after MI was more common in adult hearts with low proliferative capacity, causing a poor prognosis. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments further demonstrated that optogenetic stimulation of the cardiac vagus nerve positively regulated cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation and myocardial regeneration in vivo. More importantly, optogenetic stimulation attenuated ventricular remodeling and improved cardiac function after MI. Further analysis of sequencing results and flow cytometry revealed that cardiac vagal stimulation activated the IL-10/STAT3 pathway and promoted the polarization of cardiac macrophages to the M2 type, resulting in beneficial cardiac regenerative repair after MI. Conclusions: Targeting the cardiac vagus nerve by optogenetic stimulation induced macrophage M2 polarization by activating the IL-10/STAT3 signaling pathway, which obviously optimized the regenerative microenvironment and then improved cardiac function after MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Han
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Xiaomin Wei
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Foshan, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Guojun Chen
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Enge Shao
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Yilin Zhou
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Yuqing Li
- Department of Nosocomial Infection Administration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiwen Xiao
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Xiaoran Shi
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Hao Zheng
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Senlin Huang
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Yanmei Chen
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Yanbing Wang
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Yeshen Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yulin Liao
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Wangjun Liao
- Department of Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jianping Bin
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Yuegang Wang
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
| | - Xinzhong Li
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiac Function and Microcirculation
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Changes in the Brain Activity and Visual Performance of Patients with Strabismus and Amblyopia after a Compete Cycle of Light Therapy. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11050657. [PMID: 34070002 PMCID: PMC8157857 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
This research assesses the brain activity and visual performance at baseline and after light therapy (LTH), of seventeen patients with strabismus and amblyopia (SA), and eleven healthy controls (HCs) from Querétaro, México. Quantitative electroencephalogram analysis (qEEG) was used to record the brain activity, and clinical metrics such as the visual acuity, angle of deviation, phoria state, stereopsis, and visual fields determined the visual performance. Results showed a constant higher alpha-wave frequency for HCs. Low voltages remained negative for HCs and positive for SA patients across stimulation. After LTH, high voltage increased in SA patients, and decreased in HCs. A second spectral peak, (theta-wave), was exclusively recorded in SA patients, at baseline and after LTH. Positive Spearman correlations for alpha-wave frequency, low and high voltages were only seen in SA patients. Synchronized brain activity was recorded in all SA patients stimulated with filters transmitting light in the blue but not in the red spectrum. Enhancement in the visual performance of SA patients was found, whereas deterioration of the phoria state and a decrease in the amount of stereopsis was seen in HCs. To conclude, only a suffering brain and a visual pathway which needs to be enabled can benefit from LTH.
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A Novel Research Technology to Explore the Mystery of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Optogenetics. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2021. [DOI: 10.1155/2021/6613368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is gaining increasing popularity worldwide for the function of health promotion and adjuvant therapy. However, the world's understanding of TCM is far from enough, which seriously limits the modernization and internationalization of TCM. Therefore, modern and efficient analytical methods are urgently needed to understand the mechanism of TCM. Optogenetics is one of the most prevalent technologies in the 21st century and has been used to explore life science, especially neuroscience. It already has had great influences in the study of neural circuits and animal models of mental diseases and was named “Method of the Year” by the Nature Methods journal in 2010. Increased interests occurred in the applications of optogenetics to explore a myriad of medical and mental health disorders. However, it has not so far been noticed by TCM researchers. We elaborated on an idea that introducing this technique into the field of TCM research to improve diagnosis, treatments, and evaluating the therapeutic effects. In this review, we made a systematic prospect in the theory, feasibility, and application of TCM optogenetics. We mainly focused on applying optogenetic methodologies to make a more comprehensive understanding of TCM.
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Arcuri J, Liu Y, Lee RK, Bhattacharya SK. Lipid profile dataset of optogenetics induced optic nerve regeneration. Data Brief 2020; 31:106001. [PMID: 32685640 PMCID: PMC7358746 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.106001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The optic nerve transfers visual information from the retina to the brain through the axons of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). In adult mammals, optic nerve injuries and progressive degenerative diseases lead to the irreversible loss of RGCs, resulting in vision loss and blindness. Optogenetic models have proved useful in manipulating the growth of RGCs through expression and stimulation of channelrhodopsins (Chr2) in RGCs using the RGC-specific thy-1 promoter. Using transgenic Chr2 mouse (Thy1-ChR2-EYFP) as a model of regeneration, we profile the lipid changes which occur after traumatic optic nerve crush, light stimulation and forced RGC axonal growth. Thy1-ChR2-EYFP and control (C57BL/6) mice were divided in four groups each - 1) no crush and no stimulation, 2) no crush with stimulation, 3) crush and without stimulation, and 4) crush with stimulation. After euthanasia, the optic nerves were collected for lipidomic analysis. The Bligh and Dyer method was used for lipid extraction, followed by mass spectrometry lipid profiling with a Q-Exactive Orbitrap Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (LC MS-MS). The raw scans were analysed with LipidSearch 4.1.3 and the statistical analysis was conducted through Metaboanalyst 4.0. This data is available at Metabolomics Workbench, study ID ST001381: [https://www.metabolomicsworkbench.org/data/DRCCMetadata.php?Mode=Study&StudyID=ST001381&StudyType=MS&ResultType=5].
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Arcuri
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
- Miami Integrative Metabolomics Research Center, Miami, FL 33136, United States
- Molecular Cellular Pharmacology Graduate Program, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Yuan Liu
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Richard K. Lee
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
- Miami Integrative Metabolomics Research Center, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Sanjoy K. Bhattacharya
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
- Miami Integrative Metabolomics Research Center, Miami, FL 33136, United States
- Molecular Cellular Pharmacology Graduate Program, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
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Abstract
Next to cancer, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia is probably the most worrying health problem facing the Western world today. A large number of clinical trials have failed to show any benefit of the tested drugs in stabilizing or reversing the steady decline in cognitive function that is suffered by dementia patients. Although the pathological features of AD consisting of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles are well established, considerable debate exists concerning the genetic or lifestyle factors that predispose individuals to developing dementia. Photobiomodulation (PBM) describes the therapeutic use of red or near-infrared light to stimulate healing, relieve pain and inflammation, and prevent tissue from dying. In recent years PBM has been applied for a diverse range of brain disorders, frequently applied in a non-invasive manner by shining light on the head (transcranial PBM). The present review discusses the mechanisms of action of tPBM in the brain, and summarizes studies that have used tPBM to treat animal models of AD. The results of a limited number of clinical trials that have used tPBM to treat patients with AD and dementia are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Hamblin
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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7
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Zaglia T, Di Bona A, Mongillo M. A Light Wand to Untangle the Myocardial Cell Network. Methods Protoc 2019; 2:E34. [PMID: 31164614 PMCID: PMC6632158 DOI: 10.3390/mps2020034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of optogenetics has revolutionized research in neuroscience by providing the tools for noninvasive, cell-type selective modulation of membrane potential and cellular function in vitro and in vivo. Rhodopsin-based optogenetics has later been introduced in experimental cardiology studies and used as a tool to photoactivate cardiac contractions or to identify the sites, timing, and location most effective for defibrillating impulses to interrupt cardiac arrhythmias. The exploitation of cell-selectivity of optogenetics, and the generation of model organisms with myocardial cell type targeted expression of opsins has started to yield novel and sometimes unexpected notions on myocardial biology. This review summarizes the main results, the different uses, and the prospective developments of cardiac optogenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Zaglia
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35122 Padova, Italy.
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Via Orus 2, 35129 Padova, Italy.
| | - Anna Di Bona
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy.
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Via Orus 2, 35129 Padova, Italy.
| | - Marco Mongillo
- Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35122 Padova, Italy.
- CNR Institute of Neuroscience, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy.
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Govorunova EG, Koppel LA. The Road to Optogenetics: Microbial Rhodopsins. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2016; 81:928-40. [PMID: 27682165 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297916090029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetics technology (using light-sensitive microbial proteins to control animal cell physiology) is becoming increasingly popular in laboratories around the world. Among these proteins, particularly important are rhodopsins that transport ions across the membrane and are used in optogenetics to regulate membrane potential by light, mostly in neurons. Although rhodopsin ion pumps transport only one charge per captured photon, channelrhodopsins are capable of more efficient passive transport. In this review, we follow the history of channelrhodopsin discovery in flagellate algae and discuss the latest addition to the channelrhodopsin family, channels with anion, rather than cation, selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- E G Govorunova
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, School of Biology, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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9
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Wang Y, Huang YY, Wang Y, Lyu P, Hamblin MR. Photobiomodulation (blue and green light) encourages osteoblastic-differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells: role of intracellular calcium and light-gated ion channels. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33719. [PMID: 27650508 PMCID: PMC5030629 DOI: 10.1038/srep33719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 363] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) have the potential to differentiate into several different cell types including osteoblasts. Photobiomodulation (PBM) or low level laser therapy (LLLT) using red or near-infrared wavelengths has been reported to have effects on both proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. We examined the effects of delivering four different wavelengths (420 nm, 540 nm, 660 nm, 810 nm) at the same dose (3 J/cm2) five times (every two days) on hASCs cultured in osteogenic medium over three weeks. We measured expression of the following transcription factors by RT-PCR: RUNX2, osterix, and the osteoblast protein, osteocalcin. The 420 nm and 540 nm wavelengths were more effective in stimulating osteoblast differentiation compared to 660 nm and 810 nm. Intracellular calcium was higher after 420 nm and 540 nm, and could be inhibited by capsazepine and SKF96365, which also inhibited osteogenic differentiation. We hypothesize that activation of light-gated calcium ion channels by blue and green light could explain our results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuguang Wang
- Center of Digital Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China.,National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China.,Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ying-Ying Huang
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Yong Wang
- Center of Digital Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China.,National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Peijun Lyu
- Center of Digital Dentistry, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China.,National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing, China
| | - Michael R Hamblin
- Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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Abstract
Clinical trials treating inherited retinal dystrophy caused by RPE65 mutations had put retinal gene therapy at the forefront of gene therapy. Both successes and limitations in these clinical trials have fueled developments in gene vectors, which continue to further advance the field. These novel gene vectors aim to more safely and efficiently transduce retinal cells, expand the gene packaging capacity of AAV, and utilize new strategies to correct the varying mechanisms of dysfunction found with inherited retinal dystrophies. With recent clinical trials and numerous pre-clinical studies utilizing these novel vectors, the future of ocular gene therapy continues to hold vast potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristy A Ku
- Center for Neuroscience, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 26505, USA
| | - Mark E Pennesi
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
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Marc R, Pfeiffer R, Jones B. Retinal prosthetics, optogenetics, and chemical photoswitches. ACS Chem Neurosci 2014; 5:895-901. [PMID: 25089879 PMCID: PMC4210130 DOI: 10.1021/cn5001233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
Three
technologies have emerged as therapies to restore light sensing to
profoundly blind patients suffering from late-stage retinal degenerations:
(1) retinal prosthetics, (2) optogenetics, and (3) chemical photoswitches.
Prosthetics are the most mature and the only approach in clinical
practice. Prosthetic implants require complex surgical intervention
and provide only limited visual resolution but can potentially restore
navigational ability to many blind patients. Optogenetics uses viral
delivery of type 1 opsin genes from prokaryotes or eukaryote algae
to restore light responses in survivor neurons. Targeting and expression
remain major problems, but are potentially soluble. Importantly, optogenetics
could provide the ultimate in high-resolution vision due to the long
persistence of gene expression achieved in animal models. Nevertheless,
optogenetics remains challenging to implement in human eyes with large
volumes, complex disease progression, and physical barriers to viral
penetration. Now, a new generation of photochromic ligands or chemical
photoswitches (azobenzene-quaternary ammonium derivatives) can be
injected into a degenerated mouse eye and, in minutes to hours, activate
light responses in neurons. These photoswitches offer the potential
for rapidly and reversibly screening the vision restoration expected
in an individual patient. Chemical photoswitch variants that persist
in the cell membrane could make them a simple therapy of choice, with
resolution and sensitivity equivalent to optogenetics approaches.
A major complexity in treating retinal degenerations is retinal remodeling:
pathologic network rewiring, molecular reprogramming, and cell death
that compromise signaling in the surviving retina. Remodeling forces
a choice between upstream and downstream targeting, each engaging
different benefits and defects. Prosthetics and optogenetics can be
implemented in either mode, but the use of chemical photoswitches
is currently limited to downstream implementations. Even so, given
the high density of human foveal ganglion cells, the ultimate chemical
photoswitch treatment could deliver cost-effective, high-resolution
vision for the blind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Marc
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, United States
| | - Rebecca Pfeiffer
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, United States
| | - Bryan Jones
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, United States
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Channelrhodopsin-2-expressed dorsal root ganglion neurons activates calcium channel currents and increases action potential in spinal cord. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2014; 39:E865-9. [PMID: 25171072 DOI: 10.1097/brs.0000000000000373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN We used optogenetic techniques in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron studies. OBJECTIVE This study investigated changes in channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) expression in the spinal cord and DRG neurons using optogenetic techniques. The results show the possibility of using optogenetics to treat neuropathic pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Previous studies have shown that activated ChR2 induces an increase in DRG neuron action potential. METHODS Western blot analysis was used to measure ChR2 protein levels in the spinal cord and DRG neurons or rats intrathecally injected with ChR2 lentivirus. Electrophysiology recording was used to detect differences in action potential levels in the spinal cord and calcium channel currents in the DRG neurons. RESULTS Our studies showed that ChR2 expression increased the action potential in the spinal cord and increased calcium channel currents in DRG neurons. CONCLUSION We successfully expressed the ChR2 protein in the spinal cord and DRG neurons. We also found that ChR2 increased the action potential in the spinal cord and activated the calcium channel in DRG neurons. These findings support the research possibilities of using optogenetic studies to improve treatment for neuropathic pain. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE N/A.
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Abstract
Optogenetics is an emerging technology for the manipulation and control of excitable tissues, such as the brain and heart. As this technique requires the genetic modification of cells in order to inscribe light sensitivity, for cardiac applications, here we describe the process through which neonatal rat ventricular myocytes are virally infected in vitro with channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2). We also describe in detail the procedure for quantitatively determining the optimal viral dosage, including instructions for patterning gene expression in multicellular cardiomyocyte preparations (cardiac syncytia) to simulate potential in vivo transgene distributions. Finally, we address optical actuation of ChR2-transduced cells and means to measure their functional response to light.
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