AI Article Synopsis

  • Genetically encodable calcium ion indicators (GECIs) are essential for studying cell signaling and neural activity, with the GCaMP series being a notable example.
  • The newest GECI, jGCaMP7, may have reached its peak performance due to limitations of the GFP protein.
  • Researchers developed mNG-GECO1, a new indicator based on mNeonGreen, which is 60% brighter than GCaMP6s and performs well in various biological contexts, indicating a strong potential for future GECI advancements.

Article Abstract

Genetically encodable calcium ion (Ca) indicators (GECIs) based on green fluorescent proteins (GFP) are powerful tools for imaging of cell signaling and neural activity in model organisms. Following almost 2 decades of steady improvements in the GFP-based GCaMP series of GECIs, the performance of the most recent generation (i.e., jGCaMP7) may have reached its practical limit due to the inherent properties of GFP. In an effort to sustain the steady progression toward ever-improved GECIs, we undertook the development of a new GECI based on the bright monomeric GFP, mNeonGreen (mNG). The resulting indicator, mNG-GECO1, is 60% brighter than GCaMP6s in vitro and provides comparable performance as demonstrated by imaging Ca dynamics in cultured cells, primary neurons, and in vivo in larval zebrafish. These results suggest that mNG-GECO1 is a promising next-generation GECI that could inherit the mantle of GCaMP and allow the steady improvement of GECIs to continue for generations to come.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.0c00279DOI Listing

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