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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: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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Ahlbeck J, Song L, Chini M, Bitzenhofer SH, Hanganu-Opatz IL. Glutamatergic drive along the septo-temporal axis of hippocampus boosts prelimbic oscillations in the neonatal mouse. eLife 2018; 7:33158. [PMID: 29631696 PMCID: PMC5896876 DOI: 10.7554/elife.33158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The long-range coupling within prefrontal-hippocampal networks that account for cognitive performance emerges early in life. The discontinuous hippocampal theta bursts have been proposed to drive the generation of neonatal prefrontal oscillations, yet the cellular substrate of these early interactions is still unresolved. Here, we selectively target optogenetic manipulation of glutamatergic projection neurons in the CA1 area of either dorsal or intermediate/ventral hippocampus at neonatal age to elucidate their contribution to the emergence of prefrontal oscillatory entrainment. We show that despite stronger theta and ripples power in dorsal hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex is mainly coupled with intermediate/ventral hippocampus by phase-locking of neuronal firing via dense direct axonal projections. Theta band-confined activation by light of pyramidal neurons in intermediate/ventral but not dorsal CA1 that were transfected by in utero electroporation with high-efficiency channelrhodopsin boosts prefrontal oscillations. Our data causally elucidate the cellular origin of the long-range coupling in the developing brain. When memories are stored, or mental tasks performed, different parts of the brain need to communicate with each other to process and extract information from the environment. For example, the communication between two brain areas called the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex is essential for memory and attention. However, it is still unclear how these interactions are established when the brain develops. Now, by looking at how the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex ‘work’ together in newborn mouse pups, Ahlbeck et al. hope to understand how these brain areas start to connect. In particular, the groups of neurons that kick start the development of the circuits required for information processing need to be identified. Recording the brains of the pups revealed that electrical activity in a particular sub-division of the hippocampus activated neurons in the prefrontal cortex. In fact, a specific population of neurons in this area was needed for the circuits in the prefrontal cortex to mature. In further experiments, the neurons from this population in the hippocampus were manipulated so they could be artificially activated in the brain using light. When stimulated, these neurons generated electrical activity, which was then relayed through the neurons all the way to the prefrontal cortex. There, this signal triggered local neuronal circuits. Thanks to this activation, these circuits could ‘wire’ together, and start establishing the connections necessary for mental tasks or memory in adulthood. The brain of the mouse pups used by Ahlbeck et al. was approximately in the same developmental state as the brain of human fetuses in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. These findings may therefore inform on how the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex start connecting in humans. Problems in the way brain areas interact during early development could be partly responsible for certain neurodevelopmental disorders and mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. Understanding these processes at the cellular level may therefore be the first step towards finding potential targets for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Ahlbeck
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lingzhen Song
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mattia Chini
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian H Bitzenhofer
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ileana L Hanganu-Opatz
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Bitzenhofer SH, Ahlbeck J, Hanganu-Opatz IL. Methodological Approach for Optogenetic Manipulation of Neonatal Neuronal Networks. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:239. [PMID: 28848399 PMCID: PMC5554786 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coordinated patterns of electrical activity are critical for the functional maturation of neuronal networks, yet their interrogation has proven difficult in the developing brain. Optogenetic manipulations strongly contributed to the mechanistic understanding of network activation in the adult brain, but difficulties to specifically and reliably express opsins at neonatal age hampered similar interrogation of developing circuits. Here, we introduce a protocol that enables to control the activity of specific neuronal populations by light, starting from early postnatal development. We show that brain area-, layer- and cell type-specific expression of opsins by in utero electroporation (IUE), as exemplified for the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HP), permits the manipulation of neuronal activity in vitro and in vivo. Both individual and population responses to different patterns of light stimulation are monitored by extracellular multi-site recordings in the medial PFC of neonatal mice. The expression of opsins via IUE provides a flexible approach to disentangle the cellular mechanism underlying early rhythmic network activity, and to elucidate the role of early neuronal activity for brain maturation, as well as its contribution to neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian H Bitzenhofer
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Ahlbeck
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburg, Germany
| | - Ileana L Hanganu-Opatz
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburg, Germany
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