Tetanus on demand! (not for bioweapons, but for neuroscience research)
Tetanus toxin induces paralysis by using a protease to cleave VAMP2, a protein required for synaptic vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release.
To harness this toxicity and use it as a beneficial tool for neuroscience,
Tetanus toxin induces paralysis by using a protease to cleave VAMP2, a protein required for synaptic vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release.
To harness this toxicity and use it as a beneficial tool for neuroscience,
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627319300030
LATeNT (for light-activated tetanus neurotoxin) can be expressed in specific cell populations, and then turned on with a brief pulse of blue light.
We used LATeNT in the mouse brain to discover a new cell population (SST+ interneurons in the hippocampus) that modulates anxiety.
We are excited for neuroscientists to try this new tool! The inhibitory effect is stronger and more sustained than with other tools like halorhodopsin and DREADDs, but the timing and location of the...
Preprint here: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.27.635161v1