Wakano Masahiro, Tsunoda Masaya, Murayama Keiji, Morimoto Jumpei, Ueki Ryosuke, Aoyama-Ishiwatari Saeko, Hirabayashi Yusuke, Asanuma Hiroyuki, Sando Shinsuke
Department of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
J Am Chem Soc. 2025 Apr 2;147(13):11477-11484. doi: 10.1021/jacs.5c01559. Epub 2025 Mar 21.
Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play a pivotal role in cell signaling through their activation via dimerization. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of the temporal dynamics of RTK activity and downstream signals, such as ERK, in determining the cell fate. To better understand these dynamics, it is essential to develop methods capable of controlling the RTK activity with high temporal resolution. However, techniques for precisely modulating the activity of endogenous RTKs without requiring genetic modification remain insufficiently established. In this study, we developed a DNA aptamer agonist, Met-azo-aptamer, which enables reversible optical control of the activity of the c-Met receptor, a member of the RTK family. This was achieved by incorporating azobenzene, a photoisomerizable molecule, into a DNA aptamer that binds to c-Met. This design allows light-induced switching between the active and inactive structures of the aptamer. When the aptamer was applied to HeLa cells and exposed to ultraviolet or blue light, phosphorylation signals within the cells were activated in response to the light patterns. Furthermore, by variation of the light patterns, the Met-azo-aptamer successfully controlled the timing, amplitude, and duration of downstream ERK activation. The Met-azo-aptamer developed in this study offers a high-resolution method for investigating the relationship between RTK activation patterns and cell function or fate.
受体酪氨酸激酶(RTKs)通过二聚化激活在细胞信号传导中发挥关键作用。最近的研究表明,RTK活性和下游信号(如ERK)的时间动态在决定细胞命运方面具有重要意义。为了更好地理解这些动态,开发能够以高时间分辨率控制RTK活性的方法至关重要。然而,在不需要基因改造的情况下精确调节内源性RTK活性的技术仍未充分建立。在本研究中,我们开发了一种DNA适配体激动剂,即Met-azo-适配体,它能够对RTK家族成员c-Met受体的活性进行可逆的光学控制。这是通过将一种光异构化分子偶氮苯掺入与c-Met结合的DNA适配体中来实现的。这种设计允许光诱导适配体在活性和非活性结构之间切换。当将该适配体应用于HeLa细胞并暴露于紫外光或蓝光时,细胞内的磷酸化信号会根据光模式被激活。此外,通过改变光模式,Met-azo-适配体成功地控制了下游ERK激活的时间、幅度和持续时间。本研究中开发的Met-azo-适配体为研究RTK激活模式与细胞功能或命运之间的关系提供了一种高分辨率方法。
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