Chemical Targeting of Rhodol Voltage-Sensitive Dyes to Dopaminergic Neurons.

ABSTRACT: Optical imaging of changes in the membrane potential of living cells can be achieved by means of fluorescent voltage-sensitive dyes (VSDs). A particularly challenging task is to efficiently deliver these highly lipophilic probes to specific neuronal subpopulations in brain tissue. We have tackled this task by designing a solubilizing, hydrophilic polymer platform that carries a high-affinity ligand for a membrane protein marker of interest and a fluorescent VSD. Here, we disclose an improved design of polymer-supported probes for chemical, nongenetic targeting of voltage sensors to axons natively expressing the dopamine transporter in ex vivo mouse brain tissue. We first show that for negatively charged rhodol VSDs functioning on the photoinduced electron transfer principle, poly(ethylene

SUBMITTER: Fiala T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9065056 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature