The Department of Chemical and Systems Biology Presents: CSB Research Seminar: Won Do Heo, Ph.D., Friday, January 14, 12:30pm (PST) Zoom!
Friday, January 14, 2022
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (Pacific Time)
Zoom Meeting ID: 934 1044 3330
Password: 172677
Talk Title: “Optogenetic control of cell signaling in living cells and behaving animals”
Abstract: My group has been developing various optogenetic tools for the study of cell signaling in live cells as well as neuronal functions in vivo. The optogenetic toolkit developed by my group is highly advantageous for controlling various molecules, including receptors, signaling proteins, second messengers, mRNAs, enzymes, and antibodies, and cellular signaling compared with conventional approaches. In this talk, I will present an improved version of OptoSTIM1, named monSTIM1 (monster OptoSTIM1) with a rationally designed mutant of CRY2, CRY2E281A-A9 (CRY2clust), which elicits reduced basal Ca2+ concentration and extensively improved photosensitivity, allowing us to non-invasively manipulate Ca2+ activities in the brain in awake mice without optic fiber insertion. I will also show that optogenetic tools for receptor tyrosine kinase (optoRTKs) signaling can modulate cell signaling in the mouse brain of behaving mice. We anticipate that our improved optogenetic tools will provide a valuable means to study cell signaling in living cells and various brain functions and new paradigms of optogenetic therapeutics for neurological disorders.