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Updated: Sep 7, 2025
Construction of Cell-based Neurotransmitter Fluorescent Engineered Reporters CNiFERs for Optical Detection of Neurotransmitters In Vivo
Published on: May 12, 2016
Probing Neuropeptide Volume Transmission In Vivo by Simultaneous Near-Infrared Light-Triggered Release and Optical
Hejian Xiong1, Emre Lacin2, Hui Ouyang1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA.
Abstract:
Neuropeptides are abundant signaling molecules in the central nervous system. Yet remarkably little is known about their spatiotemporal spread and biological activity. Here, we developed an integrated optical approach using Plasmonic nAnovesicles and cell-based neurotransmitter fluorescent engineered reporter (CNiFER), or PACE, to probe neuropeptide signaling in the mouse neocortex. Small volumes (fL to pL) of exogenously supplied somatostatin-14 (SST) can be rapidly released under near-infrared light stimulation from nanovesicles implanted in the brain and detected by SST2 CNiFERs with nM sensitivity. Our measurements reveal reduced but synchronized SST transmission within 130 μm, and markedly smaller and delayed transmission at longer distances. These measurements enabled a quantitative estimation of the SST loss rate due to peptide degradation and binding. PACE offers a new tool for determining the spatiotemporal scales of neuropeptide volume transmission and signaling in the brain.
