Date : 07.15.2008

Improving membrane voltage measurements using FRET with new fluorescent proteins

Category : Research Topic
 RIKEN
Division of Developmental Neurophysiology,Department of Information Physiology,NINS
 

Hidekazu Tsutsui1, Satoshi Karasawa1, 2, Yasushi Okamura3 & Atsushi Miyawaki1

  1. Laboratory for Cell Function Dynamics, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
  2. Amalgaam Co., Ltd. 2-9-3 Itabashi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0004, Japan.
  3. Section of Developmental Neurophysiology, Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, Higashiyama 5-1, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan.

Abstract

We used two new coral fluorescent proteins as fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) donor and acceptor to develop a voltage sensor, named Mermaid, that displays 40% changes in emission ratio per 100 mV, allowing for direct visualization of electrical activities in cultured excitable cells. Notably, Mermaid has fast on-off kinetics at warm (33°C) temperatures and can report voltage spikes comparable to action potentials.

Nature Methods, Published online: 11 July 2008; | doi:10.1038/nmeth.1235
http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nmeth.1235.html