Steering Molecular Activity with Optogenetics: Recent Advances and Perspectives

Abstract

In a transparent medium, lensbased optical microscopy could focus a coherent light beam (e.g., laser) into a tiny spot, whose dimension is comparable to the size of the wavelength of the light. The diameter of the smallest beam waist is about half the size of the wavelength, which is referred to as the diffraction limit. Thus, for visible light, the theoretical diffraction limit is between 200 and 400 nm, much smaller than the size of a single cell (Figure 1A). However, in biological tissues that significantly scatter and absorb visible light, the spatial resolution could be compromised. In multicellular organisms, light absorption limits the penetration depth. The scattering of the light by the opaque biological tissues would expand the volume of light stimulation and reduce the spatial resolution.

The Roles of Optogenetics and Technology in Neurobiology: A Review

“…Although optogenetics has achieved a lot in many fields, it still faces many challenges. Many scientists have proposed that exogenous light exposure causes neurons to respond in a non-physiological way, leading to incorrect physiological conclusions ( Oh et al, 2021 ). And whether exogenous photosensitive proteins can have potential effects on nerve cells.…”

Static and photoresponsive dynamic materials to dissect physical regulation of cellular functions

“…137 Today, photo-switchable proteins are popular tools in molecular biology studies, such as gene editing, 138 nuclear-cytosolic translocation 139,140 and liquid–liquid protein phase separation. 141,142 Due to the wide wavelength range, high responsivity, and reversibility, 143,144 biomaterials based on photo-switchable proteins are a new trend for getting insights in fundamental biology. 145…”

Advanced Optogenetic-Based Biosensing and Related Biomaterials

“…Not surprisingly, the last 15 years witnessed a ground-breaking impetus of optogenetic applications and tools (for applications in cardiac research see [ 23 ], one of the many recent reviews in the neuro and cardiac fields) progressing from basic research to (currently prospective) clinical therapeutic applications and industrial efforts to employ optogenetic strategy toward disease interventions [ 24 ]. In contrast, the biosensing applications of light-responsive cellular platforms are at an early developmental stage.…”

“…The relevance of such an approach is supported by recent developments in cardiac optogenetics [ 24 ] that define immediate translation based on ‘all-optical’ electrophysiology, including high-throughput screening and cardiotoxicity testing, thus provide a relevant framework for exploring the challenges and opportunities of cell-based optogenetic sensing.…”