An infrared laser pulse (IRLP) can trigger the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), presumably via initial activation of phospholipase C (PLC), and activate multiple intracellular signaling cascades. Two main hydrolysis products are important second messengers, lipid diacylglycerol (DAG), that can lead to PKC activation, and soluble inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) that stimulates calcium release from intracellular stores. The mobilization of these messengers can modulate ion conductivity through channels, and coordinate cytoskeletal rearrangements that promotes or suppresses further downstream signaling. The downstream effect impacts membrane conductance, membrane potential and overall cellular excitability. As a result, a single IRLP with a 2-4 millisecond duration may initiate a cellular effect that lasts for seconds to minutes. From our approach, we evaluated the PIP2 phosphoinositide signaling cascade from immortalized cells that exhibited genetically encoded reporters for PIP2/IP3 and DAG. Upon IRLP exposure, we observed a PIP2 depletion, IP3 increase and DAG decrease in cytosol in motor neuron-like NG108 cells. Our data suggest that IRLP may induce second messenger systems at the membrane, and as a result modulate ionic signaling across the cell body.
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