Microbial rhodopsin–derived genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) are powerful tools for mapping bioelectrical dynamics in cell culture and in live animals. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)–opsin GEVIs use voltage-dependent quenching of an attached fluorophore, achieving high brightness, speed, and voltage sensitivity. However, the voltage sensitivity of most FRET-opsin GEVIs has been reported to decrease or vanish under two-photon (2P) excitation. Here, we investigated the photophysics of the FRET-opsin GEVIs Voltron1 and Voltron2. We found that the previously reported negative-going voltage sensitivities of both GEVIs came from photocycle intermediates, not from the opsin ground states. The voltage sensitivities of both GEVIs were nonlinear functions of illumination intensity; for Voltron1, the sensitivity reversed the sign under low-intensity illumination. Using photocycle-optimized 2P illumination protocols, we demonstrate 2P voltage imaging with Voltron2 in the barrel cortex of a live mouse. These results open the door to high-speed 2P voltage imaging of FRET-opsin GEVIs in vivo.
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Fast two-photon imaging of subcellular voltage dynamics in neuronal tissue with genetically encoded indicators
Monitoring voltage dynamics in defined neurons deep in the brain is critical for unraveling the function of neuronal circuits but is challenging due to the limited performance of existing tools. In particular, while genetically encoded voltage indicators have shown promise for optical detection of voltage transients, many indicators exhibit low sensitivity when imaged under two-photon illumination. Previous studies thus fell short of visualizing voltage dynamics in individual neurons in single trials. Here, we report ASAP2s, a novel voltage indicator with improved sensitivity. By imaging ASAP2s using random-access multi-photon microscopy, we demonstrate robust single-trial detection of action potentials in organotypic slice cultures. We also show that ASAP2s enables two-photon imaging of graded potentials in organotypic slice cultures and in Drosophila. These results demonstrate that the combination of ASAP2s and fast two-photon imaging methods enables detection of neural electrical activity with subcellular spatial resolution and millisecond-timescale precision.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1707359
- PAR ID:
- 10073437
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- eLife
- Volume:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 2050-084X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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