Coelenterazine-Type Bioluminescence-Induced Optical Probes for Sensing and Controlling Biological Processes

Abstract

Bioluminescence-based probes have long been used to quantify and visualize biological processes in vitro and in vivo. Over the past years, we have witnessed the trend of bioluminescence-driven optogenetic systems. Typically, bioluminescence emitted from coelenterazine-type luciferin–luciferase reactions activate light-sensitive proteins, which induce downstream events. The development of coelenterazine-type bioluminescence-induced photosensory domain-based probes has been applied in the imaging, sensing, and control of cellular activities, signaling pathways, and synthetic genetic circuits in vitro and in vivo. This strategy can not only shed light on the mechanisms of diseases, but also promote interrelated therapy development. Here, this review provides an overview of these optical probes for sensing and controlling biological processes, highlights their applications and optimizations, and discusses the possible future directions.

BioLuminescent OptoGenetics in the choroid plexus: integrated opto- and chemogenetic control in vivo

“…To optimize proximity between photon production to its target, luciferases and opsins are often tethered by a short amino acid chain, a “LuMinOpsin” construct (LMO) 12 . While multiple LMO variants now exist to meet distinct experimental needs, 11 , 22 – 26 the most widely used instantiation to date is LMO3, a relatively bright Gaussia luciferase (sbGluc) tethered to Volvox ChannelRhodopsin (VChR1) 27 . The LMO3 construct has proven effective for chemogenetially driving cortical, spinal, midbrain, and peripheral neurons in developing and mature mice 27 …”