Bringing optogenetics to the synapse

Andreas Reiner; Joshua Levitz; Ehud Isacoff

doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.07.009

Bringing optogenetics to the synapse

Neuron. 2013 Jul 24;79(2):209-10. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.07.009.

Authors

Andreas Reiner¹, Joshua Levitz, Ehud Isacoff

Affiliation

¹ Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, 271 Life Sciences Addition, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

PMID: 23889927
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.07.009

Abstract

In this issue of Neuron, Lin et al. (2013) describe InSynC, an optogenetic approach that utilizes chromophore-assisted light inactivation (CALI) to inactivate presynaptic neurotransmitter release proteins VAMP2 and synaptophysin. InSynC selectively reduces synaptic transmission in illuminated regions in vitro and in vivo.

Publication types

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MeSH terms

Animals
Chromophore-Assisted Light Inactivation / methods*
Neural Inhibition / physiology*
Optogenetics / methods*
Synapses / physiology*
Synaptic Transmission / physiology*