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SUMMARY:Imaging voltage with fluorescent proteins: from E. coli to mammali
 an neurons - Prof. Adam Cohen\, Depts. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology a
 nd of Physics Harvard University
DTSTART:20110729T130000Z
DTEND:20110729T140000Z
UID:TALK32164@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr. Ulrich Keyser
DESCRIPTION:Microbial rhodopsin proteins are found in aquatic organisms th
 roughout the world and in all kingdoms of life.  In the wild\, these prote
 ins transduce sunlight into changes in membrane potential\, which their\nh
 ost organisms use for phototaxis and solar energy capture.  We engineered 
 several microbial rhodopsins to run backward: to transduce changes in memb
 rane potential into an optical signal.  Upon expression\nin E. coli\, we o
 bserved a dramatic blinking behavior\, reminiscent of action potentials in
  neurons.  These electrical spikes were correlated with efflux of cytoplas
 mic contaminants.  We also expressed voltage indicators in rat neurons and
  human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) cardiomyocytes.  In both cell t
 ypes we recorded electrical dynamics with sub-millisecond temporal resolut
 ion and sub-micron spatial resolution.  These experiments provide the firs
 t movies of electrical waves propagating within a single cell. 
LOCATION:Pippard Lecture Theatre\, Cavendish Laboratory\, Madingley Road\,
  Cambridge
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