光遗传学:一种行为光控新技术

Optogenetics: A new technology to control behavior using light

光可被细菌、藻类等低等生命和人类等高等动物通过视紫红质系统而感知。20世纪70年代后,几种细菌和藻类通道视紫红质的发现为光控系统的诞生奠定了基础。光遗传学最初由米森伯克于2002年首次实现并于2005年由迪塞罗斯和博伊登进一步完善,其应用极大地增强了对大脑功能的理解。光遗传学可使科学家借助光来精确开闭特异神经元从而达到操纵神经元活性和动物行为的目的。光遗传学技术已被证明是在细胞和系统层面研究健康和病理大脑活性的一个非常强大且有用的工具。文章系统介绍了光遗传学诞生的历史背景、重大事件、发展过程、应用领域及重要价值等。

Light can be sensitized by organisms from lower bacteria and algae to higher animals including as humans through rhodopsin system. Since the 1970 s, identification of several channelrhodopsins in bacteria and algae laid the foundation for lightcontrolled operation. Optogenetics, initiated by Gero Miesenbock in 2002 and further developed by Karl Deisseroth and Edward Boyden in 2005, has greatly enhanced our understanding of brain function. Optogenetics allows scientists to switch on or off specific neurons in the brain using light and manipulate the activity of neurons and animal’s behavior. Optogenetics was proven to be a highly powerful and useful tool for studying healthy and pathological brain activity from a cellular and system level. In the article, there are systematically introduced including the historical background, major events, development process, application fields and important values of optogenetics.