Manipulating proteins for neuroscience

The design and manipulation of proteins has created many tools that have become popular in neurobiological studies, and new developments in protein science will be the fuel for future research. Genetically encoded protein-based biosensors have been developed with a wider range of sensing moieties, e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current opinion in neurobiology 2006-10, Vol.16 (5), p.585-592
Main Authors: Parrish, Angela R, Wang, Wenyuan, Wang, Lei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acids - genetics
Animals
Biosensing Techniques
Humans
Ion Channels - physiology
Neurons - physiology
Neurosciences - trends
Proteins - physiology
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Summary:The design and manipulation of proteins has created many tools that have become popular in neurobiological studies, and new developments in protein science will be the fuel for future research. Genetically encoded protein-based biosensors have been developed with a wider range of sensing moieties, enabling detection of changes in localized protein synthesis, voltage, glutamate and/or glucose levels. Existing sensors, such as cameleon, have been modified and improved. Heterologous expression of Channelrhodopsin-2 and other light-gated methods for controlling cellular polarization enable action potentials to be non-invasively evoked, facilitating the study and modulation of behavior in intact animals. Finally, new methods in protein manipulation, including the site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids in vivo and the directed evolution of proteins, show promise in elucidating neural function with greater precision and flexibility.
ISSN:0959-4388
1873-6882
DOI:10.1016/j.conb.2006.08.004