Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Biology

Using firefly enzyme, researchers make brain cells glow in the dark

Just in time for Christmas too.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
October 28, 2016
in Biology, News

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a new sensor which makes brain cells light up like fireflies.

Individual neuron glowing with bioluminescent light produced by a new genetically engineered sensor.
Credit: Johnson Lab / Vanderbilt University

The probe relies on a modified version of luciferase, the class of oxidative enzymes that produce bioluminescence (not to be confused with photoproteins). In nature, several types of organisms use luciferase to regulate their light emission, the most famous being fireflies. Several types of mushrooms and marine creatures also use the same enzyme, though, lighting up through luminescence, not fluorescence.

With this in mind, researchers wanted to see if they can also use it to make brain cells light up, which would have a number of potential medical applications. It’s not the first time something like this has been attempted, but usually, these efforts rely on fluorescence which has some drawbacks.

“For a long time neuroscientists relied on electrical techniques for recording the activity of neurons. These are very good at monitoring individual neurons but are limited to small numbers of neurons. The new wave is to use optical techniques to record the activity of hundreds of neurons at the same time,” said Carl Johnson, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences, who headed the effort.

“Most of the efforts in optical recording use fluorescence, but this requires a strong external light source which can cause the tissue to heat up and can interfere with some biological processes, particularly those that are light sensitive,” he said.

To put it simply, fluorescence requires light to function and it interacts with this light, causing unwanted interference. Luminescence, on the other hand, works completely in the dark. Johnson and his collaborators — Associate Professor Donna Webb, Research Assistant Professor Shuqun Shi, post-doctoral student Jie Yang, biological sciences doctoral student Derrick Cumberbatch, Professor Danny Winder, and molecular physiology and biophysics postdoctoral student Samuel Centanni — genetically modified a type of luciferase to light up when exposed to calcium ions. To insert this into the brain cells, they used a creative method, piggybacking on a virus that attaches to the neurons. Calcium was used here because calcium levels spike when neurons receive signals, so it’s a substance tied to natural neural activity.

They’ve successfully tested the method and showed it works, but it’s still a crude version. In future research, scientists want to determine the exact sensitivity of the method and see how they can finesse the delivery.

“We’ve shown that the approach works,” Johnson said. “Now we have to determine how sensitive it is. We have some indications that it is sensitive enough to detect the firing of individual neurons, but we have to run more tests to determine if it actually has this capability.”

Journal Reference: Jie Yang, Derrick Cumberbatch, Samuel Centanni, Shu-qun Shi, Danny Winder, Donna Webb, Carl Hirschie Johnson. Coupling optogenetic stimulation with NanoLuc-based luminescence (BRET) Ca sensing. Nature Communications, 2016; 7: 13268 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13268

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Masks made of ostrich cells make COVID-19 glow in the dark
  2. New firefly species from California discovered by undergrad student
  3. Glowing plants imbued with firefly enzymes might one day replace lamps
  4. Scientists discover glow-in-the-dark shark
  5. Marsupial rave: wombats have glow-in-the-dark fur

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW