Shining light on neuron, again!

Just when you thought you could relax for moment to digest ChR2/NpHR, the Berkeley consortium brings out their "alternative" example of in vivo control of channel gating. The same group has made a big splash over the past few years with genetically encoded, optically reversible, ligand-gated ion channels (they covalently modify a mutant channel with an isomerizable ligand). With their most recent paper, they have upped the anti, by taking this probe into zebra fish, controlling the escape response to touch. Irradiation with visible light allows the fish to escape when touched (see pics above taken from their movie online), whereas illumination in the near-UV completely restrains the animal. My feeling is the purely genetically encodable will always win over a combi-chemgen approach, but the movie is pretty cool!

Remote control of neuronal activity with a light-gated glutamate receptor.
Neuron (2007) 54:535-545.

A veritable army of people are co-authors on this paper.