Optical control of the electrophysiology of single cells can be a powerful tool for biomedical research and technology. Here, we report organic electrolytic photocapacitors (OEPCs), devices that function as extracellular capacitive electrodes for stimulating cells. OEPCs consist of transparent conductor layers covered with a donor-acceptor bilayer of organic photoconductors. This device produces an open-circuit voltage in a physiological solution of 330 mV upon illumination using light in a tissue transparency window of 630 to 660 nm. We have performed electrophysiological recordings on Xenopus laevis oocytes, finding rapid (time constants, 50 μs to 5 ms) photoinduced transient changes in the range of 20 to 110 mV. We measure photoinduced opening of potassium channels, conclusively proving that the OEPC effectively depolarizes the cell membrane. Our results demonstrate that the OEPC can be a versatile nongenetic technique for optical manipulation of electrophysiology and currently represents one of the simplest and most stable and efficient optical stimulation solutions.

Valproic acid (VPA) is an anticonvulsant used to treat bipolar disorder, a psychiatric disease associated with disturbances in circadian rhythmicity. Little is known about how VPA affects circadian rhythms. The authors cultured tissues containing the master brain pacemaker for circadian rhythmicity, the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), and skin fibroblasts from transgenic PERIOD2::LUCIFERASE (PER2::LUC) mice and studied the effect of VPA on the circadian PER2::LUC rhythm by measuring bioluminescence. VPA (1 mM) significantly phase advanced the PER2::LUC rhythm when applied at a time point corresponding to the lowest (trough, ~ZT 0) PER2::LUC expression but phase delayed the PER2::LUC rhythm when the drug was administered at the time of highest (peak, ~ZT 12) protein expression. In addition, it significantly increased the overall amplitude of PER2::LUC oscillations at time points at or close to ZT 12 but had no effect on period. Real-time PCR analyses on mouse and human fibroblasts revealed that expressions of other clock genes were increased after 2 h treatment with VPA. Because VPA is known to inhibit histone deacetylation, the authors treated cultures with an established histone deacetylation inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA; 20 ng/mL), to compare the effect of VPA and TSA on molecular rhythmicity. They found that TSA had similar effects on the PER2::LUC rhythm as VPA. Furthermore, VPA and TSA significantly increased acetylation on histone H3 but in comparison little on histone H4. Lithium is another commonly used treatment for bipolar disorder. Therefore, the authors also studied the impact of lithium chloride (LiCl; 10 mM) on the PER2::LUC rhythm. LiCl delayed the phase, but in contrast to VPA and TSA, LiCl lengthened the PER2::LUC period and had no effect on histone acetylation. These results demonstrate that VPA can delay or advance the phase, as well as increase the amplitude, of the PERIOD2::LUCIFERASE rhythm depending on the circadian time of application. Furthermore, the authors show that LiCl delays the phase and lengthens the period of the PER2::LUC rhythm, confirming previous reports on circadian lithium effects. These different molecular effects may underlie differential chronotherapeutic effects of VPA and lithium.

One of the earliest morphological changes occurring in apoptosis is cell shrinkage associated with an increased efflux of K(+) and Cl(-) ions. Block of K(+) or Cl(-) channels prevents cell shrinkage and death. Recently, we found evidences for the activation of a voltage-dependent anion channel in the plasma membrane (pl-VDAC) of a hippocampal cell line undergoing apoptosis. Nothing is known on pl-VDAC in apoptotic cell death of neural cells at different stages of differentiation. We have addressed this issue in primary cultures of differentiated hippocampal neurons and embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs). In control hippocampal neurons, pl-VDAC is closed but acts as an NADH-ferricyanide reductase, while in apoptotic neurons, pl-VDAC is opened and the enzymatic activity is increased. Anti-VDAC antibodies block pl-VDAC and prevent apoptosis, as well as the increase in enzymatic activity. Conversely, in NSCs, pl-VDAC is scarcely seen and there is no NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity. In agreement, anti-VDAC antibodies do not affect the apoptotic process. Instead, we find activation of a Na(+) channel that has low voltage dependency, a conductance of 26 pS, and is blocked by amiloride, which also prevents apoptosis. Thus, it appears that activation of pl-VDAC during apoptosis is a critical event in differentiated neurons, but not in NSCs.

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Epidemiological studies have indicated an association between influenza A virus infections during fetal life and neuropsychiatric diseases. To study the potential for influenza A virus infections to cause nervous system dysfunctions, we describe a mouse model using intranasal instillation of the mouse neuroadapted influenza A/WSN/33 strain in pregnant mice. Viral RNA and nucleoprotein were detected in fetal brains and the viral RNA persisted for at least 90 days of postnatal life. We have, thus, obtained evidence for transplacental passage of influenza virus in mice and the persistence of viral components in the brains of these animals into young adulthood.