Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 9-12-2013
Keywords
Light pulses, Action potentials, Ion channels, Optogenetics, Muscle Cells, Q10 temperature coefficient, Guinea pigs, Optimization
Abstract
Channelrhodospin-2 (ChR2), a light-sensitive ion channel, and its variants have emerged as new excitatory optogenetic tools not only in neuroscience, but also in other areas, including cardiac electrophysiology. An accurate quantitative model of ChR2 is necessary for in silicoprediction of the response to optical stimulation in realistic tissue/organ settings. Such a model can guide the rational design of new ion channel functionality tailored to different cell types/tissues. Focusing on one of the most widely used ChR2 mutants (H134R) with enhanced current, we collected a comprehensive experimental data set of the response of this ion channel to different irradiances and voltages, and used these data to develop a model of ChR2 with empirically-derived voltage- and irradiance- dependence, where parameters were fine-tuned via simulated annealing optimization. This ChR2 model offers: 1) accurate inward rectification in the current-voltage response across irradiances; 2) empirically-derived voltage- and light-dependent kinetics (activation, deactivation and recovery from inactivation); and 3) accurate amplitude and morphology of the response across voltage and irradiance settings. Temperature-scaling factors (Q10) were derived and model kinetics was adjusted to physiological temperatures. Using optical action potential clamp, we experimentally validated model-predicted ChR2 behavior in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. The model was then incorporated in a variety of cardiac myocytes, including human ventricular, atrial and Purkinje cell models. We demonstrate the ability of ChR2 to trigger action potentials in human cardiomyocytes at relatively low light levels, as well as the differential response of these cells to light, with the Purkinje cells being most easily excitable and ventricular cells requiring the highest irradiance at all pulse durations. This new experimentally-validated ChR2 model will facilitate virtual experimentation in neural and cardiac optogenetics at the cell and organ level and provide guidance for the development of in vivo tools.
Recommended Citation
Williams, John C.; Xu, Jianjin; Lu, Zhongju; Klimas, Aleksandra; Chen, Xuxin; Ambrosi, Christina M.; Cohen, Ira S.; and Entcheva, Emilia, "Computational Optogenetics: Empirically-Derived Voltage- and Light-Sensitive Channelrhodopsin-2 Model" (2013). Department of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications. 6.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/dbme-articles/6
Included in
Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons, Biophysics Commons, Physiology Commons
Comments
Published PLos Comput Biol 9(9): e1003220. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003220
Funding: This work was supported by the NIH-NHLBI grant R01HL111649 to EE, NIH-NIDDK grant T32-DK07521 (CMA), and partially by a NYSTEM grant C026716 to the Stony Brook Stem Cell Center. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.