Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Cell Rep. 2018 Mar 20;22(12):3351-3361. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.02.081.
Optical methods of interrogating neural circuits have emerged as powerful tools for understanding how the brain drives behaviors. Optogenetic proteins are widely used to control neuronal activity, while genetically encoded fluorescent reporters are used to monitor activity. These proteins are often expressed by injecting viruses, which frequently leads to inconsistent experiments due to misalignment of expression and optical components. Here, we describe how silk fibroin films simplify optogenetic experiments by providing targeted delivery of viruses. Films composed of silk fibroin and virus are applied to the surface of implantable optical components. After surgery, silk releases the virus to transduce nearby cells and provide localized expression around optical fibers and endoscopes. Silk films can also be used to express genetically encoded sensors in large cortical regions by using cranial windows coated with a silk/virus mixture. The ease of use and improved performance provided by silk make this a promising approach for optogenetic studies.
光学方法探测神经回路已经成为理解大脑如何驱动行为的有力工具。光遗传学蛋白被广泛用于控制神经元活动，而遗传编码的荧光报告蛋白则用于监测活动。这些蛋白通常通过注射病毒来表达，这常常会导致实验不一致，因为表达和光学元件的对准不一致。在这里，我们描述了丝素蛋白薄膜如何通过提供病毒的靶向传递来简化光遗传学实验。由丝素蛋白和病毒组成的薄膜应用于可植入光学元件的表面。手术后，丝素将病毒释放到附近的细胞中，在光纤和内窥镜周围提供局部表达。丝素薄膜也可以通过使用涂有丝素/病毒混合物的颅窗在大的皮质区域表达遗传编码的传感器。丝素提供的易用性和性能的提高使得这种方法成为光遗传学研究的一种有前途的方法。
