Molecular Tools for Targeted Control of Nerve Cell Electrical Activity. Part II

Advances in Optogenetics and Thermogenetics for Control of Non-Neuronal Cells and Tissues in Biomedical Research

Optogenetics and chemogenetics are relatively new biomedical technologies that emerged 20 years ago and have been evolving rapidly since then. This has been made possible by the combined use of genetic engineering, optics, and electrophysiology. With the development of optogenetics and thermogenetics, the molecular tools for cellular control are continuously being optimized, studied, and modified, expanding both their applications and their biomedical uses. The most notable changes have occurred in the basic life sciences, especially in neurobiology and the activation of neurons to control behavior. Currently, these methods of activation have gone far beyond neurobiology and are being used in cardiovascular research, for potential cancer therapy, to control metabolism, etc. In this review, we provide brief information on the types of molecular tools for optogenetic and thermogenetic methods─microbial rhodopsins and proteins of the TRP superfamily─and also consider their applications in the field of activation of non-neuronal tissues and mammalian cells. We also consider the potential of these technologies and the prospects for the use of optogenetics and thermogenetics in biomedical research.

Fluorescence lifetime multiplexing with fluorogen activating protein FAST variants

In this paper, we propose a fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) multiplexing system based on the fluorogen-activating protein FAST. This genetically encoded fluorescent labeling platform employs FAST mutants that activate the same fluorogen but provide different fluorescence lifetimes for each specific protein-dye pair. All the proposed probes with varying lifetimes possess nearly identical and the smallest-in-class size, along with quite similar steady-state optical properties. In live mammalian cells, we target these chemogenetic tags to two intracellular structures simultaneously, where their fluorescence signals are clearly distinguished by FLIM. Due to the unique structure of certain fluorogens under study, their complexes with FAST mutants display a monophasic fluorescence decay, which may facilitate enhanced multiplexing efficiency by reducing signal cross-talks and providing optimal prerequisites for signal separation upon co-localized and/or spatially overlapped labeling.

Synthesis and preclinical evaluation of [11C]uPSEM792 for PSAM4-GlyR based chemogenetics

Chemogenetic tools are designed to control neuronal signaling. These tools have the potential to contribute to the understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders and to the development of new treatments. One such chemogenetic technology comprises modified Pharmacologically Selective Actuator Modules (PSAMs) paired with Pharmacologically Selective Effector Molecules (PSEMs). PSAMs are receptors with ligand-binding domains that have been modified to interact only with a specific small-molecule agonist, designated a PSEM. PSAM4 is a triple mutant PSAM derived from the α7 nicotinic receptor (α7L131G,Q139L,Y217F). Although having no constitutive activity as a ligand-gated ion channel, PSAM4 has been coupled to the serotonin 5-HT3 receptor (5-HT3R) and to the glycine receptor (GlyR). Treatment with the partner PSEM to activate PSAM4-5-HT3 or PSAM4-GlyR, causes neuronal activation or silencing, respectively. A suitably designed radioligand may enable selective visualization of the expression and location of PSAMs with positron emission tomography (PET). Here, we evaluated uPSEM792, an ultrapotent PSEM for PSAM4-GlyR, as a possible lead for PET radioligand development. We labeled uPSEM792 with the positron-emitter, carbon-11 (t1/2 = 20.4 min), in high radiochemical yield by treating a protected precursor with [11C]iodomethane followed by base deprotection. PET experiments with [11C]uPSEM792 in rodents and in a monkey transduced with PSAM4-GlyR showed low peak radioactivity uptake in brain. This low uptake was probably due to high polarity of the radioligand, as evidenced by physicochemical measurements, and to the vulnerability of the radioligand to efflux transport at the blood-brain barrier. These findings can inform the design of a more effective PSAM4 based PET radioligand, based on the uPSEM792 chemotype.

Connectivity of the Brain in the Light of Chemogenetic Modulation of Neuronal Activity

Connectivity is the coordinated activity of the neuronal networks responsible for brain functions; it is detected based on functional magnetic resonance imaging signals that depend on the oxygen level in the blood (blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals) supplying the brain. The BOLD signal is only indirectly related to the underlying neuronal activity; therefore, it remains an open question whether connectivity and changes in it are only manifestations of normal and pathological states of the brain or they are, to some extent, the causes of these states. The creation of chemogenetic receptors activated by synthetic drugs (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs, DREADDs), which, depending on the receptor type, either facilitate or, on the contrary, inhibit the neuronal response to received physiological stimuli, makes it possible to assess brain connectivity in the light of controlled neuronal activity. Evidence suggests that connectivity is based on neuronal activity and is a manifestation of connections between brain regions that integrate sensory, cognitive, and motor functions. Chemogenetic modulation of the activity of various groups and types of neurons changes the connectivity of the brain and its complex functions. Chemogenetics can be useful in reconfiguring the pathological mechanisms of nervous and mental diseases. The initiated integration, based on the whole-brain connectome from molecular-cellular, neuronal, and synaptic processes to higher nervous activity and behavior, has the potential to significantly increase the fundamental and applied value of this branch of neuroscience.

Infrared Laser Effects on Cell Projection Depend on Irradiation Intermittence and Cell Activity

Highly focused near-infrared (NIR) lasers have been used to induce fibroblast and neuron protrusions in a technique called optical guidance. However, little is known about the biochemical and biophysical effects that the laser provokes in the cell and optimal protocols of stimulation have not yet been established. Using intermittent NIR laser radiation and multivariate time series representations of cell leading edge movement, we analyzed the direction and velocity of cell protrusions. We found that the orientation and advance of PC12 neuron phenotype cells and 3T3 fibroblasts protrusions remain after the laser is turned off, but the observed increase in velocity stops when radiation ceases. For an increase in the speed and distance of cell protrusions by NIR laser irradiation, the cell leading edge needs to be advancing prior to the stimulation, and NIR irradiation does not enable the cell to switch between retracting and advancing states. Using timelapse imaging of actin-GFP, we observed that NIR irradiation induces a faster recruitment of actin, promoting filament formation at the induced cell protrusions. These results provide fresh evidence to understand the phenomenon of the optical guidance of cell protrusions.

The DREADDful Hurdles and Opportunities of the Chronic Chemogenetic Toolbox

The chronic character of chemogenetics has been put forward as one of the assets of the technique, particularly in comparison to optogenetics. Yet, the vast majority of chemogenetic studies have focused on acute applications, while repeated, long-term neuromodulation has only been booming in the past few years. Unfortunately, together with the rising number of studies, various hurdles have also been uncovered, especially in relation to its chronic application. It becomes increasingly clear that chronic neuromodulation warrants caution and that the effects of acute neuromodulation cannot be extrapolated towards chronic experiments. Deciphering the underlying cellular and molecular causes of these discrepancies could truly unlock the chronic chemogenetic toolbox and possibly even pave the way for chemogenetics towards clinical application. Indeed, we are only scratching the surface of what is possible with chemogenetic research. For example, most investigations are concentrated on behavioral read-outs, whereas dissecting the underlying molecular signature after (chronic) neuromodulation could reveal novel insights in terms of basic neuroscience and deregulated neural circuits. In this review, we highlight the hurdles associated with the use of chemogenetic experiments, as well as the unexplored research questions for which chemogenetics offers the ideal research platform, with a particular focus on its long-term application.