A Phytochrome Sensory Domain Permits Receptor Activation by Red Light |
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| Authors: | Eva Reichhart Dr. Alvaro Ingles‐Prieto Alexandra‐Madelaine Tichy Catherine McKenzie Dr. Harald Janovjak |
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| Affiliation: | Synthetic Physiology, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Klosterneuburg, Austria |
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| Abstract: | Optogenetics and photopharmacology enable the spatio‐temporal control of cell and animal behavior by light. Although red light offers deep‐tissue penetration and minimal phototoxicity, very few red‐light‐sensitive optogenetic methods are currently available. We have now developed a red‐light‐induced homodimerization domain. We first showed that an optimized sensory domain of the cyanobacterial phytochrome 1 can be expressed robustly and without cytotoxicity in human cells. We then applied this domain to induce the dimerization of two receptor tyrosine kinases—the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 and the neurotrophin receptor trkB. This new optogenetic method was then used to activate the MAPK/ERK pathway non‐invasively in mammalian tissue and in multicolor cell‐signaling experiments. The light‐controlled dimerizer and red‐light‐activated receptor tyrosine kinases will prove useful to regulate a variety of cellular processes with light. |
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| Keywords: | optogenetics photochromism phytochrome receptors |
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