Diminishing neuronal acidification by channelrhodopsins with low proton conduction

Abstract

Many channelrhodopsins are permeable to protons. We found that in neurons, activation of a high-current channelrhodopsin, CheRiff, led to significant acidification, with faster acidification in the dendrites than in the soma. Experiments with patterned optogenetic stimulation in monolayers of HEK cells established that the acidification was due to proton transport through the opsin, rather than through other voltage-dependent channels. We identified and characterized two opsins which showed large photocurrents, but small proton permeability, PsCatCh2.0 and ChR2-3M. PsCatCh2.0 showed excellent response kinetics and was also spectrally compatible with simultaneous voltage imaging with QuasAr6a. Stimulation-evoked acidification is a possible source of disruptions to cell health in scientific and prospective therapeutic applications of optogenetics. Channelrhodopsins with low proton permeability are a promising strategy for avoiding these problems.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Oct 06, 2023
Source ID
10.7554/elife.86833

Entities

People

  • Adam Cohen
  • F Phil Brooks Iii
  • Rebecca Frank Hayward
  • Shang Yang
  • ShiQiang Gao

Organizations

  • Harvard University
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Office of Naval Research
  • University of Würzburg

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Neuroscience
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.