1
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Bansal H, Pyari G, Roy S. Theoretical prediction of broadband ambient light optogenetic vision restoration with ChRmine and its mutants. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11642. [PMID: 38773346 PMCID: PMC11109128 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62558-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Vision restoration is one of the most promising applications of optogenetics. However, it is limited due to the poor-sensitivity, slow-kinetics and narrow band absorption spectra of opsins. Here, a detailed theoretical study of retinal ganglion neurons (RGNs) expressed with ChRmine, ReaChR, CoChR, CatCh and their mutants, with near monochromatic LEDs, and broadband sunlight, halogen lamp, RGB LED light, and pure white light sources has been presented. All the opsins exhibit improved light sensitivity and larger photocurrent on illuminating with broadband light sources compared to narrow band LEDs. ChRmine allows firing at ambient sunlight (1.5 nW/mm2) and pure white light (1.2 nW/mm2), which is lowest among the opsins considered. The broadband activation spectrum of ChRmine and its mutants is also useful to restore color sensitivity. Although ChRmine exhibits slower turn-off kinetics with broadband light, high-fidelity spikes can be evoked upto 50 Hz. This limit extends upto 80 Hz with the improved hsChRmine mutant although it requires double the irradiance compared to ChRmine. The present study shows that ChRmine and its mutants allow activation of RGNs with ambient light which is useful for goggle-free white light optogenetic retinal prostheses with improved quality of restored vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Bansal
- Department of Physics and Computer Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra, 282005, India
| | - Gur Pyari
- Department of Physics and Computer Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra, 282005, India
| | - Sukhdev Roy
- Department of Physics and Computer Science, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra, 282005, India.
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2
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Sineshchekov OA, Govorunova EG, Li H, Wang Y, Spudich JL. Channel Gating in Kalium Channelrhodopsin Slow Mutants. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168298. [PMID: 37802216 PMCID: PMC10932829 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Kalium channelrhodopsin 1 from Hyphochytrium catenoides (HcKCR1) is the first discovered natural light-gated ion channel that shows higher selectivity to K+ than to Na+ and therefore is used to silence neurons with light (optogenetics). Replacement of the conserved cysteine residue in the transmembrane helix 3 (Cys110) with alanine or threonine results in a >1,000-fold decrease in the channel closing rate. The phenotype of the corresponding mutants in channelrhodopsin 2 is attributed to breaking of a specific interhelical hydrogen bond (the "DC gate"). Unlike CrChR2 and other ChRs with long distance "DC gates", the HcKCR1 structure does not reveal any hydrogen bonding partners to Cys110, indicating that the mutant phenotype is likely caused by disruption of direct interaction between this residue and the chromophore. In HcKCR1_C110A, fast photochemical conversions corresponding to channel gating were followed by dramatically slower absorption changes. Full recovery of the unphotolyzed state in HcKCR1_C110A was extremely slow with two time constants 5.2 and 70 min. Analysis of the light-minus-dark difference spectra during these slow processes revealed accumulation of at least four spectrally distinct blue light-absorbing photocycle intermediates, L, M1 and M2, and a UV light-absorbing form, typical of bacteriorhodopsin-like channelrhodopsins from cryptophytes. Our results contribute to better understanding of the mechanistic links between the chromophore photochemistry and channel conductance, and provide the basis for using HcKCR1_C110A as an optogenetic tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg A Sineshchekov
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Elena G Govorunova
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hai Li
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yumei Wang
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - John L Spudich
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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3
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Govorunova EG, Sineshchekov OA. Channelrhodopsins: From Phototaxis to Optogenetics. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2023; 88:1555-1570. [PMID: 38105024 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297923100115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Channelrhodopsins stand out among other retinal proteins because of their capacity to generate passive ionic currents following photoactivation. Owing to that, channelrhodopsins are widely used in neuroscience and cardiology as instruments for optogenetic manipulation of the activity of excitable cells. Photocurrents generated by channelrhodopsins were first discovered in the cells of green algae in the 1970s. In this review we describe this discovery and discuss the current state of research in the field.
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4
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Tajima S, Kim YS, Fukuda M, Jo Y, Wang PY, Paggi JM, Inoue M, Byrne EFX, Kishi KE, Nakamura S, Ramakrishnan C, Takaramoto S, Nagata T, Konno M, Sugiura M, Katayama K, Matsui TE, Yamashita K, Kim S, Ikeda H, Kim J, Kandori H, Dror RO, Inoue K, Deisseroth K, Kato HE. Structural basis for ion selectivity in potassium-selective channelrhodopsins. Cell 2023; 186:4325-4344.e26. [PMID: 37652010 PMCID: PMC7615185 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
KCR channelrhodopsins (K+-selective light-gated ion channels) have received attention as potential inhibitory optogenetic tools but more broadly pose a fundamental mystery regarding how their K+ selectivity is achieved. Here, we present 2.5-2.7 Å cryo-electron microscopy structures of HcKCR1 and HcKCR2 and of a structure-guided mutant with enhanced K+ selectivity. Structural, electrophysiological, computational, spectroscopic, and biochemical analyses reveal a distinctive mechanism for K+ selectivity; rather than forming the symmetrical filter of canonical K+ channels achieving both selectivity and dehydration, instead, three extracellular-vestibule residues within each monomer form a flexible asymmetric selectivity gate, while a distinct dehydration pathway extends intracellularly. Structural comparisons reveal a retinal-binding pocket that induces retinal rotation (accounting for HcKCR1/HcKCR2 spectral differences), and design of corresponding KCR variants with increased K+ selectivity (KALI-1/KALI-2) provides key advantages for optogenetic inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Thus, discovery of a mechanism for ion-channel K+ selectivity also provides a framework for next-generation optogenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiya Tajima
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoon Seok Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Masahiro Fukuda
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - YoungJu Jo
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Peter Y Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Joseph M Paggi
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Masatoshi Inoue
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Eamon F X Byrne
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Koichiro E Kishi
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiwa Nakamura
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Shunki Takaramoto
- The Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Takashi Nagata
- The Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Masae Konno
- The Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan; PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Masahiro Sugiura
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Japan
| | - Kota Katayama
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Japan
| | - Toshiki E Matsui
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keitaro Yamashita
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Suhyang Kim
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hisako Ikeda
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jaeah Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hideki Kandori
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Japan; OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Japan
| | - Ron O Dror
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Keiichi Inoue
- The Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; CNC Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Hideaki E Kato
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; FOREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan.
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5
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Saliminasab M, Yamazaki Y, Palmateer A, Harris A, Schubert L, Langner P, Heberle J, Bondar AN, Brown LS. A Proteorhodopsin-Related Photosensor Expands the Repertoire of Structural Motifs Employed by Sensory Rhodopsins. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:7872-7886. [PMID: 37694950 PMCID: PMC10519204 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c04032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Microbial rhodopsins are light-activated retinal-binding membrane proteins that perform a variety of ion transport and photosensory functions. They display several cases of convergent evolution where the same function is present in unrelated or very distant protein groups. Here we report another possible case of such convergent evolution, describing the biophysical properties of a new group of sensory rhodopsins. The first representative of this group was identified in 2004 but none of the members had been expressed and characterized. The well-studied haloarchaeal sensory rhodopsins interacting with methyl-accepting Htr transducers are close relatives of the halobacterial proton pump bacteriorhodopsin. In contrast, the sensory rhodopsins we describe here are relatives of proteobacterial proton pumps, proteorhodopsins, but appear to interact with Htr-like transducers likewise, even though they do not conserve the residues important for the interaction of haloarchaeal sensory rhodopsins with their transducers. The new sensory rhodopsins display many unusual amino acid residues, including those around the retinal chromophore; most strikingly, a tyrosine in place of a carboxyl counterion of the retinal Schiff base on helix C. To characterize their unique sequence motifs, we augment the spectroscopy and biochemistry data by structural modeling of the wild-type and three mutants. Taken together, the experimental data, bioinformatics sequence analyses, and structural modeling suggest that the tyrosine/aspartate complex counterion contributes to a complex water-mediated hydrogen-bonding network that couples the protonated retinal Schiff base to an extracellular carboxylic dyad.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Saliminasab
- Department
of Physics and Biophysics Interdepartmental Group, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Yoichi Yamazaki
- Division
of Materials Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Alyssa Palmateer
- Department
of Physics and Biophysics Interdepartmental Group, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Andrew Harris
- Department
of Physics and Biophysics Interdepartmental Group, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Luiz Schubert
- Experimental
Molecular Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Pit Langner
- Experimental
Molecular Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Joachim Heberle
- Experimental
Molecular Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ana-Nicoleta Bondar
- University
of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, Atomiştilor 405, Măgurele 077125, Romania
- Forschungszentrum
Jülich, Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine and Institute
for Advanced Simulations (IAS-5/INM-9), Computational Biomedicine, Wilhelm-Johnen Straße, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Leonid S. Brown
- Department
of Physics and Biophysics Interdepartmental Group, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
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6
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Sineshchekov OA, Govorunova EG, Li H, Wang Y, Spudich JL. Sequential absorption of two photons creates a bistable form of RubyACR responsible for its strong desensitization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2301521120. [PMID: 37186849 PMCID: PMC10214203 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2301521120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Channelrhodopsins with red-shifted absorption, rare in nature, are highly desired for optogenetics because light of longer wavelengths more deeply penetrates biological tissue. RubyACRs (Anion ChannelRhodopsins), a group of four closely related anion-conducting channelrhodopsins from thraustochytrid protists, are the most red-shifted channelrhodopsins known with absorption maxima up to 610 nm. Their photocurrents are large, as is typical of blue- and green-absorbing ACRs, but they rapidly decrease during continuous illumination (desensitization) and extremely slowly recover in the dark. Here, we show that long-lasting desensitization of RubyACRs results from photochemistry not observed in any previously studied channelrhodopsins. Absorption of a second photon by a photocycle intermediate with maximal absorption at 640 nm (P640) renders RubyACR bistable (i.e., very slowly interconvertible between two spectrally distinct forms). The photocycle of this bistable form involves long-lived nonconducting states (Llong and Mlong), formation of which is the reason for long-lasting desensitization of RubyACR photocurrents. Both Llong and Mlong are photoactive and convert to the initial unphotolyzed state upon blue or ultraviolet (UV) illumination, respectively. We show that desensitization of RubyACRs can be reduced or even eliminated by using ns laser flashes, trains of short light pulses instead of continuous illumination to avoid formation of Llong and Mlong, or by application of pulses of blue light between pulses of red light to photoconvert Llong to the initial unphotolyzed state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg A. Sineshchekov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Membrane Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX77030
| | - Elena G. Govorunova
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Membrane Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX77030
| | - Hai Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Membrane Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX77030
| | - Yumei Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Membrane Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX77030
| | - John L. Spudich
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Membrane Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX77030
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7
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Kishi KE, Kato HE. Pump-like channelrhodopsins: Not just bridging the gap between ion pumps and ion channels. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 79:102562. [PMID: 36871323 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Channelrhodopsins are microbial rhodopsins that work as light-gated ion channels. Their importance has become increasingly recognized due to their ability to control the membrane potential of specific cells in a light-dependent manner. This technology, termed optogenetics, has revolutionized neuroscience, and numerous channelrhodopsin variants have been isolated or engineered to expand the utility of optogenetics. Pump-like channelrhodopsins (PLCRs), one of the recently discovered channelrhodopsin subfamilies, have attracted broad attention due to their high sequence similarity to ion-pumping rhodopsins and their distinct properties, such as high light sensitivity and ion selectivity. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the structure-function relationships of PLCRs and discuss the challenges and opportunities of channelrhodopsin research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichiro E Kishi
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. https://twitter.com/K_E_Kishi
| | - Hideaki E Kato
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; FOREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan.
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8
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Govorunova EG, Sineshchekov OA, Spudich JL. Potassium-selective channelrhodopsins. Biophys Physicobiol 2023; 20:e201011. [PMID: 38362336 PMCID: PMC10865875 DOI: 10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v20.s011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Since their discovery 21 years ago, channelrhodopsins have come of age and have become indispensable tools for optogenetic control of excitable cells such as neurons and myocytes. Potential therapeutic utility of channelrhodopsins has been proven by partial vision restoration in a human patient. Previously known channelrhodopsins are either proton channels, non-selective cation channels almost equally permeable to Na+ and K+ besides protons, or anion channels. Two years ago, we discovered a group of channelrhodopsins that exhibit over an order of magnitude higher selectivity for K+ than for Na+. These proteins, known as "kalium channelrhodopsins" or KCRs, lack the canonical tetrameric selectivity filter found in voltage- and ligand-gated K+ channels, and use a unique selectivity mechanism intrinsic to their individual protomers. Mutant analysis has revealed that the key residues responsible for K+ selectivity in KCRs are located at both ends of the putative cation conduction pathway, and their role has been confirmed by high-resolution KCR structures. Expression of KCRs in mouse neurons and human cardiomyocytes enabled optical inhibition of these cells' electrical activity. In this minireview we briefly discuss major results of KCR research obtained during the last two years and suggest some directions of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena G. Govorunova
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Oleg A. Sineshchekov
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - John L. Spudich
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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9
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Abstract
Potassium-selective channelrhodopsins (KCRs) are light-gated K+ channels recently found in the stramenopile protist Hyphochytrium catenoides. When expressed in neurons, KCRs enable high-precision optical inhibition of spiking (optogenetic silencing). KCRs are capable of discriminating K+ from Na+ without the conventional K+ selectivity filter found in classical K+ channels. The genome of H. catenoides also encodes a third paralog that is more permeable for Na+ than for K+. To identify structural motifs responsible for the unusual K+ selectivity of KCRs, we systematically analyzed a series of chimeras and mutants of this protein. We found that mutations of three critical residues in the paralog convert its Na+-selective channel into a K+-selective one. Our characterization of homologous proteins from other protists (Colponema vietnamica, Cafeteria burkhardae, and Chromera velia) and metagenomic samples confirmed the importance of these residues for K+ selectivity. We also show that Trp102 and Asp116, conserved in all three H. catenoides paralogs, are necessary, although not sufficient, for K+ selectivity. Our results provide the foundation for further engineering of KCRs for optogenetic needs. IMPORTANCE Recently discovered microbial light-gated ion channels (channelrhodopsins) with a higher permeability for K+ than for Na+ (potassium-selective channelrhodopsins [kalium channelrhodopsins, or KCRs]) demonstrate an alternative K+ selectivity mechanism, unrelated to well-characterized "selectivity filters" of voltage- and ligand-gated K+ channels. KCRs can be used for optogenetic inhibition of neuronal firing and potentially for the development of gene therapies to treat neurological and cardiovascular disorders. In this study, we identified structural motifs that determine the K+ selectivity of KCRs that provide the foundation for their further improvement as optogenetic tools.
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10
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Tucker K, Sridharan S, Adesnik H, Brohawn SG. Cryo-EM structures of the channelrhodopsin ChRmine in lipid nanodiscs. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4842. [PMID: 35977941 PMCID: PMC9385719 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32441-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial channelrhodopsins are light-gated ion channels widely used for optogenetic manipulation of neuronal activity. ChRmine is a bacteriorhodopsin-like cation channelrhodopsin (BCCR) more closely related to ion pump rhodopsins than other channelrhodopsins. ChRmine displays unique properties favorable for optogenetics including high light sensitivity, a broad, red-shifted activation spectrum, cation selectivity, and large photocurrents, while its slow closing kinetics impedes some applications. The structural basis for ChRmine function, or that of any other BCCR, is unknown. Here, we present cryo-EM structures of ChRmine in lipid nanodiscs in apo (opsin) and retinal-bound (rhodopsin) forms. The structures reveal an unprecedented trimeric architecture with a lipid filled central pore. Large electronegative cavities on either side of the membrane facilitate high conductance and selectivity for cations over protons. The retinal binding pocket structure suggests channel properties could be tuned with mutations and we identify ChRmine variants with ten-fold decreased and two-fold increased closing rates. A T119A mutant shows favorable properties relative to wild-type and previously reported ChRmine variants for optogenetics. These results provide insight into structural features that generate an ultra-potent microbial opsin and provide a platform for rational engineering of channelrhodopsins with improved properties that could expand the scale, depth, and precision of optogenetic experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Tucker
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- California Institute for Quantitative Biology (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Savitha Sridharan
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Hillel Adesnik
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Stephen G Brohawn
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
- California Institute for Quantitative Biology (QB3), University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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11
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Govorunova EG, Sineshchekov OA, Brown LS, Spudich JL. Biophysical characterization of light-gated ion channels using planar automated patch clamp. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:976910. [PMID: 36017077 PMCID: PMC9396214 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.976910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are proteins that guide phototaxis in protists and exhibit light-gated channel conductance when their genes are heterologously expressed in mammalian cells. ChRs are widely used as molecular tools to control neurons and cardiomyocytes with light (optogenetics). Cation- and anion-selective ChRs (CCRs and ACRs, respectively) enable stimulation and inhibition of neuronal activity by depolarization and hyperpolarization of the membrane, respectively. More than 400 natural ChR variants have been identified so far, and high-throughput polynucleotide sequencing projects add many more each year. However, electrophysiological characterization of new ChRs lags behind because it is mostly done by time-consuming manual patch clamp (MPC). Here we report using a high-throughput automated patch clamp (APC) platform, SyncroPatch 384i from Nanion Technologies, for ChR research. We find that this instrument can be used for determination of the light intensity dependence and current-voltage relationships in ChRs and discuss its advantages and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena G. Govorunova
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Membrane Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Oleg A. Sineshchekov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Membrane Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Leonid S. Brown
- Biophysics Interdepartmental Group, Department of Physics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - John L. Spudich
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Membrane Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, United States
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12
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Govorunova EG, Gou Y, Sineshchekov OA, Li H, Lu X, Wang Y, Brown LS, St-Pierre F, Xue M, Spudich JL. Kalium channelrhodopsins are natural light-gated potassium channels that mediate optogenetic inhibition. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:967-974. [PMID: 35726059 PMCID: PMC9854242 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01094-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Channelrhodopsins are used widely for optical control of neurons, in which they generate photoinduced proton, sodium or chloride influx. Potassium (K+) is central to neuron electrophysiology, yet no natural K+-selective light-gated channel has been identified. Here, we report kalium channelrhodopsins (KCRs) from Hyphochytrium catenoides. Previously known gated potassium channels are mainly ligand- or voltage-gated and share a conserved K+-selectivity filter. KCRs differ in that they are light-gated and have independently evolved an alternative K+ selectivity mechanism. The KCRs are potent, highly selective of K+ over Na+, and open in less than 1 ms following photoactivation. The permeability ratio PK/PNa of 23 makes H. catenoides KCR1 (HcKCR1) a powerful hyperpolarizing tool to suppress excitable cell firing upon illumination, demonstrated here in mouse cortical neurons. HcKCR1 enables optogenetic control of K+ gradients, which is promising for the study and potential treatment of potassium channelopathies such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and long-QT syndrome and other cardiac arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena G Govorunova
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yueyang Gou
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- The Cain Foundation Laboratories, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Oleg A Sineshchekov
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hai Li
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Lu
- Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology Program, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yumei Wang
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Leonid S Brown
- Department of Physics and Biophysics Interdepartmental Group, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - François St-Pierre
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology Program, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mingshan Xue
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- The Cain Foundation Laboratories, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - John L Spudich
- Center for Membrane Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA.
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13
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Kishi KE, Kim YS, Fukuda M, Inoue M, Kusakizako T, Wang PY, Ramakrishnan C, Byrne EFX, Thadhani E, Paggi JM, Matsui TE, Yamashita K, Nagata T, Konno M, Quirin S, Lo M, Benster T, Uemura T, Liu K, Shibata M, Nomura N, Iwata S, Nureki O, Dror RO, Inoue K, Deisseroth K, Kato HE. Structural basis for channel conduction in the pump-like channelrhodopsin ChRmine. Cell 2022; 185:672-689.e23. [PMID: 35114111 PMCID: PMC7612760 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
ChRmine, a recently discovered pump-like cation-conducting channelrhodopsin, exhibits puzzling properties (large photocurrents, red-shifted spectrum, and extreme light sensitivity) that have created new opportunities in optogenetics. ChRmine and its homologs function as ion channels but, by primary sequence, more closely resemble ion pump rhodopsins; mechanisms for passive channel conduction in this family have remained mysterious. Here, we present the 2.0 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of ChRmine, revealing architectural features atypical for channelrhodopsins: trimeric assembly, a short transmembrane-helix 3, a twisting extracellular-loop 1, large vestibules within the monomer, and an opening at the trimer interface. We applied this structure to design three proteins (rsChRmine and hsChRmine, conferring further red-shifted and high-speed properties, respectively, and frChRmine, combining faster and more red-shifted performance) suitable for fundamental neuroscience opportunities. These results illuminate the conduction and gating of pump-like channelrhodopsins and point the way toward further structure-guided creation of channelrhodopsins for applications across biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichiro E Kishi
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoon Seok Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Masahiro Fukuda
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Inoue
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Tsukasa Kusakizako
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Peter Y Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Eamon F X Byrne
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Elina Thadhani
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Joseph M Paggi
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Toshiki E Matsui
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keitaro Yamashita
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Takashi Nagata
- Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan; PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Masae Konno
- Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan; PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Sean Quirin
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Maisie Lo
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Tyler Benster
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Tomoko Uemura
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Sakyo, Japan
| | - Kehong Liu
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Sakyo, Japan
| | - Mikihiro Shibata
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa, Japan; High-Speed AFM for Biological Application Unit, Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Norimichi Nomura
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Sakyo, Japan
| | - So Iwata
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Sakyo, Japan; RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Osamu Nureki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ron O Dror
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Keiichi Inoue
- Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; CNC Program, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Hideaki E Kato
- Komaba Institute for Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan; FOREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan.
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14
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Govorunova EG, Sineshchekov OA, Spudich JL. Emerging Diversity of Channelrhodopsins and Their Structure-Function Relationships. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 15:800313. [PMID: 35140589 PMCID: PMC8818676 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.800313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cation and anion channelrhodopsins (CCRs and ACRs, respectively) from phototactic algae have become widely used as genetically encoded molecular tools to control cell membrane potential with light. Recent advances in polynucleotide sequencing, especially in environmental samples, have led to identification of hundreds of channelrhodopsin homologs in many phylogenetic lineages, including non-photosynthetic protists. Only a few CCRs and ACRs have been characterized in detail, but there are indications that ion channel function has evolved within the rhodopsin superfamily by convergent routes. The diversity of channelrhodopsins provides an exceptional platform for the study of structure-function evolution in membrane proteins. Here we review the current state of channelrhodopsin research and outline perspectives for its further development.
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15
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Gordeliy V, Kovalev K, Bamberg E, Rodriguez-Valera F, Zinovev E, Zabelskii D, Alekseev A, Rosselli R, Gushchin I, Okhrimenko I. Microbial Rhodopsins. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2501:1-52. [PMID: 35857221 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2329-9_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The first microbial rhodopsin, a light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin from Halobacterium salinarum (HsBR), was discovered in 1971. Since then, this seven-α-helical protein, comprising a retinal molecule as a cofactor, became a major driver of groundbreaking developments in membrane protein research. However, until 1999 only a few archaeal rhodopsins, acting as light-driven proton and chloride pumps and also photosensors, were known. A new microbial rhodopsin era started in 2000 when the first bacterial rhodopsin, a proton pump, was discovered. Later it became clear that there are unexpectedly many rhodopsins, and they are present in all the domains of life and even in viruses. It turned out that they execute such a diversity of functions while being "nearly the same." The incredible evolution of the research area of rhodopsins and the scientific and technological potential of the proteins is described in the review with a focus on their function-structure relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Gordeliy
- Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS), Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Grenoble, France.
| | - Kirill Kovalev
- Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS), Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Grenoble, France
- Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- JuStruct: Jülich Center for Structural Biology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Institute of Crystallography, University of Aachen (RWTH), Aachen, Germany
| | - Ernst Bamberg
- Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Francisco Rodriguez-Valera
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel Hernández, San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Egor Zinovev
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Dmitrii Zabelskii
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Alexey Alekseev
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Riccardo Rosselli
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genetica y Microbiología. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Ivan Gushchin
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Ivan Okhrimenko
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
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16
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Vierock J, Rodriguez-Rozada S, Dieter A, Pieper F, Sims R, Tenedini F, Bergs ACF, Bendifallah I, Zhou F, Zeitzschel N, Ahlbeck J, Augustin S, Sauter K, Papagiakoumou E, Gottschalk A, Soba P, Emiliani V, Engel AK, Hegemann P, Wiegert JS. BiPOLES is an optogenetic tool developed for bidirectional dual-color control of neurons. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4527. [PMID: 34312384 PMCID: PMC8313717 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24759-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Optogenetic manipulation of neuronal activity through excitatory and inhibitory opsins has become an indispensable experimental strategy in neuroscience research. For many applications bidirectional control of neuronal activity allowing both excitation and inhibition of the same neurons in a single experiment is desired. This requires low spectral overlap between the excitatory and inhibitory opsin, matched photocurrent amplitudes and a fixed expression ratio. Moreover, independent activation of two distinct neuronal populations with different optogenetic actuators is still challenging due to blue-light sensitivity of all opsins. Here we report BiPOLES, an optogenetic tool for potent neuronal excitation and inhibition with light of two different wavelengths. BiPOLES enables sensitive, reliable dual-color neuronal spiking and silencing with single- or two-photon excitation, optical tuning of the membrane voltage, and independent optogenetic control of two neuronal populations using a second, blue-light sensitive opsin. The utility of BiPOLES is demonstrated in worms, flies, mice and ferrets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Vierock
- Institute for Biology, Experimental Biophysics, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Silvia Rodriguez-Rozada
- Research Group Synaptic Wiring and Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Dieter
- Research Group Synaptic Wiring and Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Florian Pieper
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ruth Sims
- Wavefront-Engineering Microscopy Group, Photonics Department, Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Federico Tenedini
- Research Group Neuronal Patterning and Connectivity, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Amelie C F Bergs
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Imane Bendifallah
- Wavefront-Engineering Microscopy Group, Photonics Department, Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Fangmin Zhou
- Research Group Neuronal Patterning and Connectivity, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nadja Zeitzschel
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Joachim Ahlbeck
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sandra Augustin
- Institute for Biology, Experimental Biophysics, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kathrin Sauter
- Research Group Synaptic Wiring and Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Research Group Neuronal Patterning and Connectivity, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eirini Papagiakoumou
- Wavefront-Engineering Microscopy Group, Photonics Department, Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Alexander Gottschalk
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Peter Soba
- Research Group Neuronal Patterning and Connectivity, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- LIMES Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Valentina Emiliani
- Wavefront-Engineering Microscopy Group, Photonics Department, Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Andreas K Engel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Peter Hegemann
- Institute for Biology, Experimental Biophysics, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - J Simon Wiegert
- Research Group Synaptic Wiring and Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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17
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Abstract
Cation and anion channelrhodopsins (CCRs and ACRs, respectively) primarily from two algal species, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Guillardia theta, have become widely used as optogenetic tools to control cell membrane potential with light. We mined algal and other protist polynucleotide sequencing projects and metagenomic samples to identify 75 channelrhodopsin homologs from four channelrhodopsin families, including one revealed in dinoflagellates in this study. We carried out electrophysiological analysis of 33 natural channelrhodopsin variants from different phylogenetic lineages and 10 metagenomic homologs in search of sequence determinants of ion selectivity, photocurrent desensitization, and spectral tuning in channelrhodopsins. Our results show that association of a reduced number of glutamates near the conductance path with anion selectivity depends on a wider protein context, because prasinophyte homologs with a glutamate pattern identical to that in cryptophyte ACRs are cation selective. Desensitization is also broadly context dependent, as in one branch of stramenopile ACRs and their metagenomic homologs, its extent roughly correlates with phylogenetic relationship of their sequences. Regarding spectral tuning, we identified two prasinophyte CCRs with red-shifted spectra to 585 nm. They exhibit a third residue pattern in their retinal-binding pockets distinctly different from those of the only two types of red-shifted channelrhodopsins known (i.e., the CCR Chrimson and RubyACRs). In cryptophyte ACRs we identified three specific residue positions in the retinal-binding pocket that define the wavelength of their spectral maxima. Lastly, we found that dinoflagellate rhodopsins with a TCP motif in the third transmembrane helix and a metagenomic homolog exhibit channel activity.
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18
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Structure-Function Relationship of Channelrhodopsins. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1293:35-53. [PMID: 33398806 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-8763-4_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Ion-translocating rhodopsins, especially channelrhodopsins (ChRs), have attracted broad attention as a powerful tool to modulate the membrane potential of cells with light (optogenetics). Because of recent biophysical, spectroscopic, and computational studies, including the structural determination of cation and anion ChRs, our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying light-gated ion conduction has been greatly advanced. In this chapter, I first describe the background of rhodopsin family proteins including ChR, and how the optogenetics technology has been established from the discovery of first ChR in 2002. I later introduce the recent findings of the structure-function relationship of ChR by comparing the crystal structures of cation and anion ChRs. I further discuss the future goal in the fields of ChR research and optogenetic tool development.
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