Vierock Group

Molecular and Cellular Opsin Engineering

From molecular mechanisms to translational optogenetics

Opsins are light-sensitive proteins found throughout nature, where they enable cells to detect and respond to light. Their functional diversity is remarkable and ranges from active ion transport and ion-selective conductance to the precise activation of intracellular signaling cascades. In optogenetics, this functional diversity is used for the design of molecular switches that allow these biological processes to be controlled by light.

Most prominently, light-gated ion channels called channelrhodopsins have become standard research tools in modern neuroscience, where they allow the temporally and spatially precise activation or silencing of individual cells. At the same time, they are promising genetically encoded actuators for the restoration of vision or hearing and the design of computer-brain interfaces or muscular pacemakers.

In the Vierock Lab, we are interested in the discovery, molecular mechanisms and engineering of new opsins. Combining molecular biology, electrophysiology, live-cell imaging and spectroscopy, we study these proteins from the molecular to the cellular level and aim to understand how their individual properties, such as kinetics, light sensitivity, ion selectivity or spectral sensitivity, can be tailored to specific applications.

Major areas of interest include:

1. New light-gated ion channels…

…discovered in nature or generated by protein engineering, with higher conductance, distinct ion selectivity or spectral properties, such as the highly light-sensitive K⁺-selective channelrhodopsin WiChR or the recently discovered far-red light-absorbing bestrhodopsin channel complexes.

2. Subcellular optogenetics…

…using short targeting sequences to guide opsin expression to specific cellular compartments or organelles in order to manipulate local biochemical conditions such as pH, ion concentrations and signaling processes at the subcellular level.

3. Multicolor optogenetics…

…combining different opsins or opsins and genetically encoded sensors with distinct spectral properties for the independent control and monitoring of cellular activity and signaling in multicolor and all-optical experiments, as exemplified by bidirectional tools such as BiPOLES.

As part of the Else Kröner-Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies, we work in a highly dynamic research environment in close contact with leading experts in optogenetic translation and therapeutic development. We are grateful for the support of the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, the Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and the German Research Foundation (DFG).

A selection of our tools is available through Addgene, the Charité Viral Core, or upon request.

We are always looking for motivated students and currently have openings in the lab for a PhD student and a research technician. Please do not hesitate to get in touch!

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