title: Light-activated kinases enable temporal dissection of signaling networks in living cells.
abstract: We report a general strategy for creating protein kinases in mammalian cells that are poised for very rapid activation by light. By photoactivating a caged version of MEK1, we demonstrate the specific, rapid, and receptor independent activation of an artificial subnetwork within the Raf/MEK/ERK pathway. Time-lapse microscopy allowed us to precisely characterize the kinetics of elementary steps in the signaling cascade and provided insight into adaptive feedback and rate-determining processes in the pathway.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gautier
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deiters
authors.forename: Jason W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010770:Phosphotransferases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D010770:Phosphotransferases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases