Figure 4.

Photodynamic inhibition of neurotransmitter release in C. elegans with miniSOG-VAMP2 or UNC-13L-miniSOG. The protein photosensitizer miniSOG was fusion-expressed with the vSNARE vesicular associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) (A) or with the active zone protein UNC-13-L (Munc 13) (B) in C. elegans neurons under neuron-specific promoter. The transgenic worms were illuminated with blue light (480 nm, 30 mW/mm²), and postsynaptic current was recorded from ventral medial wall body muscle with whole cell configuration. Note the rapid decrease in excitatory postsynaptic current upon blue light illumination. Adapted from Lin et al. (2013) and Zhou et al. (2013).