美国霍华德休斯医学研究所Eric R. Schreiter研究组研发用于体内电压成像新技术。2019年8月16日，国际知名学术期刊《科学》发表了这一成果。

研究人员设计了一种名为Voltron的GEVI，其使用明亮并且光稳定的合成染料代替蛋白质荧光团，从而将体内同时成像的神经元数量增加10倍，并使相对于现有GEVI的成像时间显著延长。研究人员使用Voltron在小鼠、斑马鱼和果蝇中进行了体内电压成像。在小鼠皮质中，Voltron能够在15分钟的连续成像期间内同时记录来自数十个神经元的峰值和亚阈值电压信号。在斑马鱼幼体中，Voltron实现了峰值时间与行为的精确关联。

研究人员表示，遗传编码的电压指示器（GEVI）能够以高空间和时间分辨率监测神经元活动。 然而，现有GEVI的使用受到荧光蛋白和视紫红质的亮度和光稳定性的限制。

附：英文原文

Title: Bright and photostable chemigenetic indicators for extended in vivo voltage imaging

Author: Ahmed S. Abdelfattah, Takashi Kawashima, Amrita Singh, Ondrej Novak, Hui Liu, Yichun Shuai, Yi-Chieh Huang, Luke Campagnola, Stephanie C. Seeman, Jianing Yu, Jihong Zheng, Jonathan B. Grimm, Ronak Patel, Johannes Friedrich, Brett D. Mensh, Liam Paninski, John J. Macklin, Gabe J. Murphy, Kaspar Podgorski, Bei-Jung Lin, Tsai-Wen Chen, Glenn C. Turner, Zhe Liu, Minoru Koyama, Karel Svoboda, Misha B. Ahrens, Luke D. Lavis, Eric R. Schreiter

Issue&Volume: Volume 365 Issue 6454

Abstract: Genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) enable monitoring of neuronal activity at high spatial and temporal resolution. However, the utility of existing GEVIs has been limited by the brightness and photostability of fluorescent proteins and rhodopsins. We engineered a GEVI, called Voltron, that uses bright and photostable synthetic dyes instead of protein-based fluorophores, thereby extending the number of neurons imaged simultaneously in vivo by a factor of 10 and enabling imaging for significantly longer durations relative to existing GEVIs. We used Voltron for in vivo voltage imaging in mice, zebrafish, and fruit flies. In the mouse cortex, Voltron allowed single-trial recording of spikes and subthreshold voltage signals from dozens of neurons simultaneously over a 15-minute period of continuous imaging. In larval zebrafish, Voltron enabled the precise correlation of spike timing with behavior.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aav6416

Source:https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6454/699