Ion channels driven by light have provided electrophysiologists with unprecedented control over the activity state of neurons; here Deisseroth and colleagues introduce new molecules that offer a similar level of control over signalling pathways to biochemists. Opsin/GPCR chimaeras were engineered, enabling the authors to modulate G-protein activity via light, which in turn could influence neuronal firing; activating these molecules expressed in vivo could drive conditioned place preference in behaving mice
- Raag D. Airan
- Kimberly R. Thompson
- Karl Deisseroth
