Exploring Optical Navigation of Neurite Outgrowth

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To explore the optical navigation of neurite outgrowth, I utilized two photoreceptors : bacterial photoactivated adenylyl cyclase(bPAC) and an anonymous photoreceptor X. Transient expression of bPAC in cultured cells showed A-kinase activation upon light stimulation. I designed a fusion protein X-Trk, X-photoreceptor connected with the kinase domain of TrkB. Photostimulation upon the cells expressing X-Trk induced autophosphorylation of X-Trk and MAP kinase activation. Ectopic expression of X-Trk in chick embryonic dorsal root ganglion neurons facilitated the neurite outgrowth upon light stimulation. Enabling the optical navigation of neurite outgrowth with X-Trk may open new avenue to regenerate and analyze neural circuits.