title: Cloaked Caged Compounds: Chemical Probes for Two-Photon Optoneurobiology.
abstract: Caged neurotransmitters, in combination with focused light beams, enable precise interrogation of neuronal function, even at the level of single synapses. However, most caged transmitters are, surprisingly, severe antagonists of ionotropic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. By conjugation of a large, neutral dendrimer to a caged GABA probe we introduce a "cloaking" technology that effectively reduces such antagonism to very low levels. Such cloaked caged compounds will enable the study of the signaling of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in its natural state using two-photon uncaging microscopy for the first time.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Richers
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Amatrudo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jeremy P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Graham C R
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ellis-Davies
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010782:Photolysis; D017785:Photons; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D050091:Dendrimers; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
keywords: GABA-A receptors; biologically inert; caged compounds; optical methods; two-photon photolysis