An Ultraresponsive Green Biosensor for Robust in Vivo Imaging of Synaptic Zinc Dynamics Despite its crucial role in neurotransmission and neural processing, direct in vivo measurement of Zn2+ transients has been hindered by the limited responsiveness and stability of available fluorescent indicators. Here, we report hpGRISZ (high-performance green indicator for synaptic Zn2+), an ultraresponsive, thermostable, turn-on green fluorescent biosensor engineered for high brightness, large dynamic range, and affinity tuned for detecting extracellular synaptic Zn2+ release. We comprehensively characterized hpGRISZ in vitro, in mammalian cells, and in vivo. A membrane-anchored version of hpGRISZ traffics robustly to the cell surface under physiological conditions, where it retains strong responsiveness and enables robust wide-field, two-photon, and fiber photometry recordings in awake mice. Using hpGRISZ, we visualized synaptic Zn2+ dynamics across multiple brain regions and neuronal circuits, revealing direct evidence of Zn2+ signaling during auditory processing in the cortex and during aversive responses in the amygdala. hpGRISZ thus establishes a versatile platform for dissecting the spatiotemporal dynamics of synaptic Zn2+ and its roles in neural circuit function in vivo.

Hot Off the Press!

We’re excited to share our latest publication:

“An Ultraresponsive Green Biosensor for Robust In Vivo Imaging of Synaptic Zinc Dynamics at Single-Cell Resolution in Awake Mice”

Grateful to all collaborators who made it possible.

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

hpGRISZ: a high-performance fluorescent biosensor for in vivo imaging of synaptic zinc dynamics Despite the crucial role of synaptic Zn2+ in neurotransmission and neural processing, direct in vivo measurement of Zn2+ transients has remained challenging due to the limited responsiveness of existi...

Thrilled to be part of this great collaborative effort!

We developed and validated a novel genetically encoded Green Zinc Sensor that enables, for the first time, two-
photon single-cell imaging of synaptic zinc dynamics in awake mice!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Meet the Researcher — Hearing Health Foundation

Honored and humbled to receive the highly competitive and prestigious HHF ERG award for the fourth time, $200,000 in total.

@hearinghealthfn.bsky.social Continued support will enable us to develop novel treatment options for hearing deficits!

hearinghealthfoundation.org/mtr