Research Group Molecular Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany.
Mol Genet Genomics. 2012 Feb;287(2):95-109. doi: 10.1007/s00438-011-0663-7. Epub 2011 Dec 20.
Optogenetics is a rapidly evolving field of technology that allows optical control of genetically targeted biological systems at high temporal and spatial resolution. By heterologous expression of light-sensitive microbial membrane proteins, opsins, cell type-specific depolarization or silencing can be optically induced on a millisecond time scale. What started in a petri dish is applicable today to more complex systems, ranging from the dissection of brain circuitries in vitro to behavioral analyses in freely moving animals. Persistent technical improvement has focused on the identification of new opsins, suitable for optogenetic purposes and genetic engineering of existing ones. Optical stimulation can be combined with various readouts defined by the desired resolution of the experimental setup. Although recent developments in optogenetics have largely focused on neuroscience it has lately been extended to other targets, including stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Further development of optogenetic approaches will not only highly increase our insight into health and disease states but might also pave the way for a future use in therapeutic applications.
光遗传学是一个快速发展的技术领域，它允许在高时间和空间分辨率下对遗传靶向的生物系统进行光学控制。通过异源表达光敏感的微生物膜蛋白，视蛋白，可以在毫秒级时间尺度上光学诱导细胞类型特异性去极化或沉默。从最初的培养皿开始，现在已经可以应用于更复杂的系统，从体外脑回路的剖析到自由活动动物的行为分析。持续的技术改进集中在识别新的视蛋白上，这些视蛋白适合光遗传学目的和对现有视蛋白进行基因工程改造。光学刺激可以与根据实验设置所需分辨率定义的各种读出方式相结合。尽管光遗传学的最新发展主要集中在神经科学领域，但它最近已经扩展到其他目标，包括干细胞研究和再生医学。光遗传学方法的进一步发展不仅将极大地提高我们对健康和疾病状态的认识，而且可能为未来在治疗应用中的使用铺平道路。
