title: Robust Type-specific Hemisynapses Induced by Artificial Dendrites.
abstract: Type-specificity of synapses, excitatory and inhibitory, regulates information process in neural networks via chemical neurotransmitters. To lay a foundation of synapse-based neural interfaces, artificial dendrites are generated by covering abiotic substrata with ectodomains of type-specific synaptogenic proteins that are C-terminally tagged with biotinylated fluorescent proteins. The excitatory artificial synapses displaying engineered ectodomains of postsynaptic neuroligin-1 (NL1) induce the formation of excitatory presynapses with mixed culture of neurons in various developmental stages, while the inhibitory artificial dendrites displaying engineered NL2 and Slitrk3 induce inhibitory presynapses only with mature neurons. By contrast, if the artificial dendrites are applied to the axonal components of micropatterned neurons, correctly-matched synaptic specificity emerges regardless of the neuronal developmental stages. The hemisynapses retain their initially established type-specificity during neuronal development and maintain their synaptic strength provided live neurons, implying the possibility of durable synapse-based biointerfaces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Joong
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Su
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Youn
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Inseong
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Taek Dong
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D055495:Neurogenesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013569:Synapses / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal