Open AccessEngineered BRET-Based Biologic Light Sources Enable Spatiotemporal Control over Diverse Optogenetic Systems
Author(s) -
Kshitij ParagSharma,
Colin P. O’Banion,
Erin C. Henry,
Adele M. Musicant,
John L. Cleveland,
David S. Lawrence,
Antonio L. Amelio
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acs synthetic biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.156
H-Index - 66
ISSN - 2161-5063
DOI - 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00277
Subject(s) - optogenetics , bioluminescence , photobleaching , synthetic biology , channelrhodopsin , computer science , nanotechnology , fluorescence , biology , neuroscience , physics , computational biology , materials science , optics , ecology
Light-inducible optogenetic systems offer precise spatiotemporal control over a myriad of biologic processes. Unfortunately, current systems are inherently limited by their dependence on external light sources for their activation. Further, the utility of laser/LED-based illumination strategies are often constrained by the need for invasive surgical procedures to deliver such devices and local heat production, photobleaching and phototoxicity that compromises cell and tissue viability. To overcome these limitations, we developed a novel BRET-activated optogenetics (BEACON) system that employs biologic light to control optogenetic tools. BEACON is driven by self-illuminating bioluminescent-fluorescent proteins that generate "spectrally tuned" biologic light via bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). Notably, BEACON robustly activates a variety of commonly used optogenetic systems in a spatially restricted fashion, and at physiologically relevant time scales, to levels that are achieved by conventional laser/LED light sources.