Molecular prosthetics for long-term functional imaging with fluorescent reporters

Voltage-sensitive fluorescent reporters can reveal fast changes in membrane potential in neurons and cardiomyocytes. However, in many cases, illumination in the presence of the fluorescent reporters results in disruptions to action potential shape that limits the length of recording sessions. We show here that a molecular prosthetic approach, previously limited to fluorophores, rather than indicators, can be used to substantially prolong imaging in neurons and cardiomyocytes.