Single Action Potentials and Subthreshold Electrical Events Imaged in Neurons with a Fluorescent Protein Voltage Probe

Abstract

Monitoring neuronal electrical activity using fluorescent protein-based voltage sensors has been limited by small response magnitudes and slow kinetics of existing probes. Here we report the development of a fluorescent protein voltage sensor, named Arc Light, and derivative probes that exhibit large changes in fluorescence intensity in response to voltage changes. Arc Light consists of the voltage-sensing domain of Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensitive phosphatase and super ecliptic pHluorin that carries the point mutation A227D. The fluorescence intensity of Arc Light A242 decreases by 35% in response to a 100mV depolarization when measured in HEK293 cells, which is more than five times larger than the signals from previously reported fluorescent protein voltage sensors. We show that the combination of signal size and response speed of these new probes allows the reliable detection of single action potentials and excitatory potentials in individual neurons and dendrites.