Refining novel genetic biosensors for neuroactive chemicals based on in vivo detection of hydrogen peroxide.
Title
Refining novel genetic biosensors for neuroactive chemicals based on in vivo detection of hydrogen peroxide.
Subject
Life Sciences
Description
My supervisor’s research team is investigating how neurons and glial cells communicate with each other, and to detect the release of L-Aspartate from neurons, they are expressing L-aspartate oxidase (LAOx) on the surface of mouse brain cells which generates hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as one of the products.
However, this production of H2O2 would not normally occur in brain, and therefore, it could have undesirable physiological effects. Catalase is an enzyme which metabolizes H2O2 and it could be combined in a construct with LAOx to prevent excessive accumulation of H2O2 in tissue. Microbial catalases with a high catalytic activity and a small mass would be appropriate. Such catalases could be expressed in ordered arrangements with LAOx and fluorescent proteins on mouse brain cell membranes to reduce the diffusion of H2O2 away from the detecting cells. My project therefore devised a range of constructs that combine catalase and LAOx tagged with a red fluorescent protein (mCherry) in different sequential orders to optimize oxidase-based biosensors for use in brain without overly reducing their sensitivity.
However, this production of H2O2 would not normally occur in brain, and therefore, it could have undesirable physiological effects. Catalase is an enzyme which metabolizes H2O2 and it could be combined in a construct with LAOx to prevent excessive accumulation of H2O2 in tissue. Microbial catalases with a high catalytic activity and a small mass would be appropriate. Such catalases could be expressed in ordered arrangements with LAOx and fluorescent proteins on mouse brain cell membranes to reduce the diffusion of H2O2 away from the detecting cells. My project therefore devised a range of constructs that combine catalase and LAOx tagged with a red fluorescent protein (mCherry) in different sequential orders to optimize oxidase-based biosensors for use in brain without overly reducing their sensitivity.
Creator
Yanchun Wang
Date
2024
Files
Collection
Citation
Yanchun Wang, “Refining novel genetic biosensors for neuroactive chemicals based on in vivo detection of hydrogen peroxide.,” URSS SHOWCASE, accessed November 23, 2024, https://urss.warwick.ac.uk/items/show/644.