Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM).
Centers for Biological Signalling Studies BIOSS and CIBSS.
J Biochem. 2021 Apr 18;169(3):273-286. doi: 10.1093/jb/mvaa139.
The nucleus is a very complex organelle present in eukaryotic cells. Having the crucial task to safeguard, organize and manage the genetic information, it must tightly control its molecular constituents, its shape and its internal architecture at any given time. Despite our vast knowledge of nuclear cell biology, much is yet to be unravelled. For instance, only recently we came to appreciate the existence of a dynamic nuclear cytoskeleton made of actin filaments that regulates processes such as gene expression, DNA repair and nuclear expansion. This suggests further exciting discoveries ahead of us. Modern cell biologists embrace a new methodology relying on precise perturbations of cellular processes that require a reversible, highly spatially confinable, rapid, inexpensive and tunEable external stimulus: light. In this review, we discuss how optogenetics, the state-of-the-art technology that uses genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins to steer biological processes, can be adopted to specifically investigate nuclear cell biology.
核是真核细胞中一种非常复杂的细胞器。它肩负着保护、组织和管理遗传信息的关键任务，因此必须在任何时候都严格控制其分子成分、形状和内部结构。尽管我们对核细胞生物学有了广泛的了解，但仍有许多未解之谜。例如，直到最近，我们才开始认识到存在一种由肌动蛋白丝组成的动态核胞质骨架，它可以调节基因表达、DNA 修复和核扩张等过程。这表明我们还有更多令人兴奋的发现。现代细胞生物学家采用了一种新的方法，依赖于对细胞过程的精确干扰，这需要一种可逆的、高度空间限制的、快速的、廉价的和可调的外部刺激：光。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了如何采用光遗传学——一种利用基因编码的光敏感蛋白来控制生物过程的最先进技术——来专门研究核细胞生物学。
