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Cloaked Caged Compounds: Chemical Probes for Two‐Photon Optoneurobiology
Author(s) -
Richers Matthew T.,
Amatrudo Joseph M.,
Olson Jeremy P.,
EllisDavies Graham C. R.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201609269
Subject(s) - ionotropic effect , dendrimer , chemistry , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , two photon excitation microscopy , gamma aminobutyric acid , neurotransmitter , biophysics , glutamate receptor , receptor , neuroscience , biochemistry , physics , biology , fluorescence , quantum mechanics
Caged neurotransmitters, in combination with focused light beams, enable precise interrogation of neuronal function, even at the level of single synapses. However, most caged transmitters are, surprisingly, severe antagonists of ionotropic gamma ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. By conjugation of a large, neutral dendrimer to a caged GABA probe we introduce a “cloaking” technology that effectively reduces such antagonism to very low levels. Such cloaked caged compounds will enable the study of the signaling of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in its natural state using two‐photon uncaging microscopy for the first time.