Improved Synthesis of Caged Glutamate and Caging Each Functional Group

Highly efficient Ca2+ chelation activated by visible light

Calcium ion (Ca2+) control is an essential tool in neuronal research. Herein, we report three thiocoumarin-based, visible light-activated Ca2+ chelators with quantum yields of 0.39, 0.52, and 0.83. The chelators demonstrated an over 105-fold increase in Ca2+ binding affinity upon irradiation. These chelators are efficiently triggered by biologically safer wavelengths, rendering them excellent candidates for use in neurological research and medicine.

Blue and Green Light Responsive Caged Glutamate

Glutamate (Glu) is an excitatory neurotransmitter that plays a critical role in memory. Brain mapping activities of such pathways relied heavily on the ability to release Glu with spatiotemporal precision. Several photo-protecting groups (PPGs), referred to as photocages or cages, were designed to accomplish the release of Glu upon irradiation. Previously reported Glu cages responded to UV upon irradiation with single photons, which limited their use in vivo experiments due to cytotoxicity. Other caged designs suffered from lower quantum efficiency (QE) of release necessitating higher concentrations and/or longer photoirradiation times. There have been limited examples of cages that respond to visible light with single photon irradiation. Herein, we report the efficient preparation of 11 caged Glu examples that respond to two visible wavelengths, 467 nm (thiocoumarin based) and 515-540 nm (BODIPY based). The kinetics of photouncaging were studied for all caged designs, and we report all quantum efficiencies, i.e., quantum yields (Φ), that ranged from 0.0001-0.65. Two of the BODIPY cages are reported here for the first time, and one, Me-BODIPY-Br-Glu, shows the most efficient Glu release with a QE of 0.65. Similar caged designs can be extended to the inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA. This would enable the use of two visible wavelengths to modulate the release of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters upon demand via optical control.

The Development and Application of Opto-Chemical Tools in the Zebrafish

The zebrafish is one of the most widely adopted animal models in both basic and translational research. This popularity of the zebrafish results from several advantages such as a high degree of similarity to the human genome, the ease of genetic and chemical perturbations, external fertilization with high fecundity, transparent and fast-developing embryos, and relatively low cost-effective maintenance. In particular, body translucency is a unique feature of zebrafish that is not adequately obtained with other vertebrate organisms. The animal's distinctive optical clarity and small size therefore make it a successful model for optical modulation and observation. Furthermore, the convenience of microinjection and high embryonic permeability readily allow for efficient delivery of large and small molecules into live animals. Finally, the numerous number of siblings obtained from a single pair of animals offers large replicates and improved statistical analysis of the results. In this review, we describe the development of opto-chemical tools based on various strategies that control biological activities with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. We also discuss the reported applications of these tools in zebrafish and highlight the current challenges and future possibilities of opto-chemical approaches, particularly at the single cell level.

Competition between cyclization and unusual Norrish type I and type II nitro-acyl migration pathways in the photouncaging of 1-acyl-7-nitroindoline revealed by computations

The 7-nitroindolinyl family of caging chromophores has received much attention in the past two decades. However, its uncaging mechanism is still not clearly understood. In this study, we performed state-of-the-art density functional theory calculations to unravel the photo-uncaging mechanism in its entirety, and we compared the probabilities of all plausible pathways. We found competition between a classical cyclization and an acyl migration pathway, and here we explain the electronic and steric reasons behind such competition. The migration mechanism possesses the characteristics of a combined Norrish type I and a 1,6-nitro-acyl variation of a Norrish type II mechanism, which is reported here for the first time. We also found negligible energetic differences in the uncaging mechanisms of the 4-methoxy-5,7-dinitroindolinyl (MDNI) cages and their mononitro analogues (MNI). We traced the experimentally observed improved quantum yields of MDNI to a higher population of the reactants in the triplet surface. This fact is supported by a more favorable intersystem crossing due to the availability of a higher number of triplet excited states with the correct symmetry in MDNI than in MNI. Our findings may pave the way for improved cage designs that possess higher quantum yields and a more efficient agonist release.

Competition between cyclization and unusual Norrish type I and type II nitro-acyl migration pathways in the photouncaging of 1-acyl-7-nitroindoline revealed by computations

The 7-nitroindolinyl family of caging chromophores has received much attention in the past two decades. However, its uncaging mechanism is still not clearly understood. In this study, we performed state-of-the-art density functional theory calculations to unravel the photo-uncaging mechanism in its entirety, and we compared the probabilities of all plausible pathways. We found competition between a classical cyclization and an acyl migration pathway, and here we explain the electronic and steric reasons behind such competition. The migration mechanism possesses the characteristics of a combined Norrish type I and a 1,6-nitro-acyl variation of a Norrish type II mechanism, which is reported here for the first time. We also found negligible energetic differences in the uncaging mechanisms of the 4-methoxy-5,7-dinitroindolinyl (MDNI) cages and their mononitro analogues (MNI). We traced the experimentally observed improved quantum yields of MDNI to a higher population of the reactants in the triplet surface. This fact is supported by a more favorable intersystem crossing due to the availability of a higher number of triplet excited states with the correct symmetry in MDNI than in MNI. Our findings may pave the way for improved cage designs that possess higher quantum yields and a more efficient agonist release.

Caged Proline in Photoinitiated Organocatalysis

Organocatalysis is an emerging field, in which small metal-free organic structures catalyze a diversity of reactions with a remarkable stereoselectivity. The ability to selectively switch on such pathways upon demand has proven to be a valuable tool in biological systems. Light as a trigger provides the ultimate spatial and temporal control of activation. However, there have been limited examples of phototriggered catalytic systems. Herein, we describe the synthesis and application of a caged proline system that can initiate organocatalysis upon irradiation. The caged proline was generated using the highly efficient 4-carboxy-5,7-dinitroindolinyl (CDNI) photocleavable protecting group in a four-step synthesis. Advantages of this system include water solubility, biocompatibility, high quantum yield for catalyst release, and responsiveness to two-photon excitation. We showed the light-triggered catalysis of a crossed aldol reaction, a Mannich reaction, and a self-aldol condensation reaction. We also demonstrated light-initiated catalysis, leading to the formation of a biocide in situ, which resulted in the growth inhibition of E. coli, with as little as 3 min of irradiation. This technique can be broadly applied to other systems, by which the formation of active forms of drugs can be catalytically assembled remotely via two-photon irradiation.

Methods for Three-Dimensional All-Optical Manipulation of Neural Circuits

Optical means for modulating and monitoring neuronal activity, have provided substantial insights to neurophysiology and toward our understanding of how the brain works. Optogenetic actuators, calcium or voltage imaging probes and other molecular tools, combined with advanced microscopies have allowed an "all-optical" readout and modulation of neural circuits. Completion of this remarkable work is evolving toward a three-dimensional (3D) manipulation of neural ensembles at a high spatiotemporal resolution. Recently, original optical methods have been proposed for both activating and monitoring neurons in a 3D space, mainly through optogenetic compounds. Here, we review these methods and anticipate possible combinations among them.