Evaluating methods and protocols of ferritin-based magnetogenetics

Miriam Hernández-Morales; Victor Han; Richard H Kramer; Chunlei Liu

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103094

Evaluating methods and protocols of ferritin-based magnetogenetics

iScience. 2021 Sep 9;24(10):103094. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103094. eCollection 2021 Oct 22.

Authors

Miriam Hernández-Morales^{1

2}, Victor Han^{1

2}, Richard H Kramer³, Chunlei Liu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, 505 Cory Hall MC# 1770, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
² Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
³ Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.

Abstract

FeRIC (Ferritin iron Redistribution to Ion Channels) is a magnetogenetic technique that uses radiofrequency (RF) alternating magnetic fields to activate the transient receptor potential channels, TRPV1 and TRPV4, coupled to cellular ferritins. In cells expressing ferritin-tagged TRPV, RF stimulation increases the cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels via a biochemical pathway. The interaction between RF and ferritin increases the free cytosolic iron levels that, in turn, trigger chemical reactions producing reactive oxygen species and oxidized lipids that activate the ferritin-tagged TRPV. In this pathway, it is expected that experimental factors that disturb the ferritin expression, the ferritin iron load, the TRPV functional expression, or the cellular redox state will impact the efficiency of RF in activating ferritin-tagged TRPV. Here, we examined several experimental factors that either enhance or abolish the RF control of ferritin-tagged TRPV. The findings may help optimize and establish reproducible magnetogenetic protocols.

Keywords: Bioelectromagnetics; Biology experimental methods; Genetics.

Grants and funding

R01 NS110554/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States