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Abstract

Recordings of the physiological history of individual cells provide insights into the mechanisms of biological processes, yet obtaining such recordings is a challenge. To address this, we introduce a method to record transient cellular events. We designed proteins that become labeled in the presence of both a specific cellular activity and a fluorescent probe. The recording period is set by the presence of the probe, whereas the cellular activity controls the degree of the labeling. The use of distinguishable probes enables the recording of successive periods of activity for post hoc analyses. We record protein-protein interactions, G-protein-coupled receptor activation and elevations in intracellular calcium, which we use for transcriptomics of heterogenous cell populations and for sequential recordings of neuronal activity in freely moving zebrafish larvae.