A fast, high-affinity fluorescent serotonin biosensor engineered from a tick lipocalin

Shen Zhang; Xinyu Li; Shengyu Zhao; Mikhail Drobizhev; Hui-Wang Ai

doi:10.1038/s41592-021-01078-7

A fast, high-affinity fluorescent serotonin biosensor engineered from a tick lipocalin

Nat Methods. 2021 Mar;18(3):258-261. doi: 10.1038/s41592-021-01078-7. Epub 2021 Feb 25.

Authors

Shen Zhang^#^{1

2

3}, Xinyu Li^#^{1

2}, Shengyu Zhao^{1

3}, Mikhail Drobizhev⁴, Hui-Wang Ai^{5

6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
² Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
³ Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
⁴ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
⁵ Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. huiwang.ai@virginia.edu.
⁶ Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. huiwang.ai@virginia.edu.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. huiwang.ai@virginia.edu.
⁸ The UVA Cancer Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. huiwang.ai@virginia.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 33633410
DOI: 10.1038/s41592-021-01078-7

Abstract

Serotonin (5-HT) is an important signaling monoamine and neurotransmitter. We report structure-guided engineering of a green fluorescent, genetically encoded serotonin sensor (G-GESS) from a 5-HT-binding lipocalin in the soft tick Argas monolakensis. G-GESS shows fast response kinetics and high affinity, specificity, brightness and photostability. We used G-GESS to image 5-HT dynamics in cultured cells, brain slices and behaving mice.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Retracted Publication

MeSH terms

Animals
Argas / metabolism
Biosensing Techniques / methods*
Brain / diagnostic imaging
Cell Line
HEK293 Cells
Humans
Lipocalins / metabolism*
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Optical Imaging / methods*
Serotonin / analysis*

Substances

Lipocalins
Serotonin

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding