1070-Engineering Electrical Synapses for Circuit Editing

Researchers have developed a novel circuit-editing technology called LinCx, which uses engineered electrical synapses to precisely regulate communication between specific brain cells. By modifying connexin proteins from white perch fish, the team created selective hemichannels that only connect with each other, preventing "off-target" interactions with the brain's natural proteins. Through computational modeling and a new screening assay called FETCH, they identified a specific structural motif that ensures these designer synapses remain exclusively heterotypic. The study validated the system's effectiveness in both C. elegans and mice, successfully altering neural signaling and associated animal behaviors. This innovation provides a high-precision tool for repairing dysfunctional neural circuits and studying cognitive functions in mammals.

References:

• Ransey E, Thomas G E, Wisdom E M, et al. Long-term editing of brain circuits using an engineered electrical synapse[J]. Nature, 2026: 1-13.