Institut de la Vision, Inserm S968, CNRS UMR7210, Sorbonne University, Paris, France.
EMBO J. 2018 Dec 14;37(24). doi: 10.15252/embj.2018101103. Epub 2018 Dec 3.
The coming of age of optogenetics has motivated the development of clinical applications. Improved hearing restoration by optical cochlear implants is one such promising development. However, slow closing of light‐gated ion channels has remained an obstacle for achieving the high temporal fidelity required for optogenetic coding. In a study published in this issue, Keppeler demonstrate that optimized trafficking of the fast channelrhodopsin Chronos enables auditory nerve fibers to fire in response to light at near physiological rates.
基因光学技术的发展推动了其临床应用的发展。光控耳蜗植入物对听力的恢复就是这样一个很有前途的进展。然而,光控离子通道的缓慢关闭仍然是实现光遗传学编码所需的高时间分辨率的一个障碍。在本期发表的一项研究中,Keppeler 等人证明了优化的快速通道蛋白 Chronos 的转运使听觉神经纤维能够以接近生理的速率对光刺激产生反应。