07.03.han.comment.nature

Vol 446|5 April 2007NEWSProteins make light work of nerve controlThere were audible gasps and spontaneous researchers transplanted the channel, ChR2, applause at a neuroscience meeting in Salt into mammalian neurons. For the first time, Lake City, Utah, in February, when Ed Boyden it was possible to stimulate a nerve remotely at described a protein that switches off nerve speeds close to normal neuronal transmission firing when activated by light. And when Karl (E. S. Boyden Nature Neurosci. 8, 1263–1268; Deisseroth told the fuller story of the protein, 2005). Numerous research groups have already called NpHR and published in this week’s begun to use this ‘on switch’.Nature, at Cold Spring Harbor in New York The newly reported NpHR protein (see page late last month, there was talk of a revolution 633) is exciting researchers even more. Identi-in neuroscience. It is perhaps no surprise that fied in an archaeal species called Natronomonas intellectual-property disputes are looming. pharaonis, it pumps chloride ions into cells, The revolution could consign electrodes silencing physiological activity, when activated — neuroscience’s staple tools — to the trash by yellow light. “The ‘on switch’ means we can after a century of faithful service. They would replace the crude electrode, which stimulates be replaced by genetically engineered proteins all types of neurons in its vicinity,” says Deisse-that allow ...