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Combinatorial Assembly of Lumitoxins

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Potassium Channels

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1684))

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Abstract

Ion channels are among the most important proteins in neuroscience and serve as drug targets for many brain disorders. During development, learning, disease progression, and other processes, the activity levels of specific ion channels are tuned in a cell-type specific manner. However, it is difficult to assess how cell-specific changes in ion channel activity alter emergent brain functions. We have developed a protein architecture for fully genetically encoded light-activated modulation of endogenous ion channel activity. Fusing a genetically encoded photoswitch and an ion channel-modulating peptide toxin in a computationally designed fashion, this reagent, which we call Lumitoxins, can mediate light-modulation of specific endogenous ion channel activities in targeted cells. The modular lumitoxin architecture may be useful in a diversity of neuroscience tools. Here, we delineate how to construct lumitoxin genes from synthesized components, and provide a general outline for how to test their function in mammalian cell culture.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    David Nedrud

  2. Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, 321 Church Street SE, 6-160 Jackson, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Daniel Schmidt

Authors
  1. David Nedrud
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  2. Daniel Schmidt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel Schmidt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA

    Show-Ling Shyng

  2. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA

    Francis I. Valiyaveetil

  3. The Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA

    Matt Whorton

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Nedrud, D., Schmidt, D. (2018). Combinatorial Assembly of Lumitoxins. In: Shyng, SL., Valiyaveetil, F., Whorton, M. (eds) Potassium Channels. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1684. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7362-0_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7362-0_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-7361-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7362-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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