@misc{10481/111048,
year = {2020},
month = {2},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/111048},
abstract = {Optical technologies allowing modulation of neuronal activity at high spatio-temporal resolution are becoming paramount in neuroscience. In this respect, azobenzene-based photoswitches are promising nanoscale tools for neuronal photostimulation. Here we engineered a light-sensitive azobenzene compound (Ziapin2) that stably partitions into the plasma membrane and causes its thinning through trans-dimerization in the dark, resulting in an increased membrane capacitance at steady state. We demonstrated that in neurons loaded with the compound, millisecond pulses of visible light induce a transient hyperpolarization followed by a delayed depolarization that triggers action potential firing. These effects are persistent and can be evoked in vivo up to 7 days, proving the potential of Ziapin2 for the modulation of membrane capacitance in the millisecond timescale, without directly affecting ion channels or local temperature.},
publisher = {Nature},
title = {Neuronal firing modulation by a membranetargeted photoswitch},
doi = {10.1038/s41565-019-0632-6},
author = {DiFrancesco, Mattia Lorenzo and Lodola, Francesco and Colombo, ELisabetta and Maragliano, Luca and Bramini, Mattia and Paternò, Giuseppe Maria and Baldelli, Pietro and Dalla Serra, Mauro and Lunelli, Lorenzo and Marchioretto, Marta and Grasselli, Giorgio and Cimò, Simone and Colella, Letizia and Fazzi, Daniele and Ortica, Fausto and Vurro, Vito and Eleftheriou, Cyril Giles and Shmal, Dmytro and Maya-Vetencourt, José Fernando and Bertarelli, Chiara and Lanzani, Guglielmo and Benfenati, Fabio},
}