Photoswitch triads comprising two dihydroazulene (DHA) units in conjugation with a central trans-azobenzene (AZB) unit were prepared stepwise protocols starting from meta- and para-disubstituted azobenzenes. The para-connected triad had significantly altered optical properties lacked the photoactivity of separate photochromes. In contrast, for meta-connected triad, all three photochromes could ...

We present a series of cationic membrane-targeted azobenzene molecules, with the aim to understand how variations in molecular architecture influence relative optical and biological properties. 1,4-Amino-substituted was chosen as switching unit while number linked alkyl chains their end-group were systematically varied. Their photophysics, membrane partitioning, electrophysiological efficacy st...

Fatty acids (FAs) are not only essential components of cellular energy storage and structure, but play crucial roles in signalling. Here we present a toolkit of photoswitchable FA analogues (FAAzos) that incorporate an azobenzene photoswitch along the FA chain. By modifying the FAAzos to resemble capsaicin, we prepare a series of photolipids targeting the Vanilloid Receptor 1 (TRPV1), a non-sel...

To trigger action potentials in neurons, most investigators use electrical or chemical stimulation. Here we describe an optical stimulation method based on semi-synthetic light-activated ion channels. These SPARK (Synthetic Photoisomerizable Azobenzene-Regulated K +) channels consist of a synthetic azobenzene-containing photoswitch and a genetically modified Shaker K + channel protein. SPARK ch...

Currently available optogenetic tools, including microbial light-activated ion channels and transporters, are transforming systems neuroscience by enabling precise remote control of neuronal firing, but they tell us little about the role of indigenous ion channels in controlling neuronal function. Here, we employ a chemical-genetic strategy to engineer light sensitivity into several mammalian K...

Azobenzene photoswitches confer light sensitivity onto retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in blind mice, making these compounds promising candidates as vision-restoring drugs in humans with degenerative blindness. Remarkably, photosensitization manifests only in animals with photoreceptor degeneration and is absent from those with intact rods and cones. Here we show that P2X receptors mediate the en...

The linear and nonlinear optical properties of azobenzenecontaining polymers are of immense, yet unredeemed, technological interest. The potential applications aremanifold, including, e.g., optical information storage and processing, photoswitching, diffractive optics, and photomechanics. Many of the attractive features are brought about by the photoisomerization of the azobenzenemoieties, whic...