Fan Linlin Z, Lin Michael Z
Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Dev Biol. 2015 Sep-Oct;4(5):545-54. doi: 10.1002/wdev.188. Epub 2015 Apr 8.
Cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, or migration depend on precise spatiotemporal coordination of protein activities. Correspondingly, reaching a quantitative understanding of cellular behavior requires experimental approaches that enable spatial and temporal modulation of protein activity. Recently, a variety of light-sensitive protein domains have been engineered as optogenetic actuators to spatiotemporally control protein activity. In the present review, we discuss the principle of these optical control methods and examples of their applications in modulating signaling pathways. By controlling protein activity with spatiotemporal specificity, tunable dynamics, and quantitative control, light-controllable proteins promise to accelerate our understanding of cellular and organismal biology.
诸如增殖、分化或迁移等细胞过程依赖于蛋白质活性的精确时空协调。相应地,要对细胞行为达成定量理解,就需要能够对蛋白质活性进行时空调节的实验方法。最近,多种光敏感蛋白结构域已被设计成光遗传学激活剂,用于时空控制蛋白质活性。在本综述中,我们讨论了这些光学控制方法的原理及其在调节信号通路中的应用实例。通过以时空特异性、可调动力学和定量控制来控制蛋白质活性,光可控蛋白有望加速我们对细胞和生物体生物学的理解。