title: Optogenetic control of intracellular signaling pathways.
abstract: Cells employ a plethora of signaling pathways to make their life-and-death decisions. Extensive genetic, biochemical, and physiological studies have led to the accumulation of knowledge about signaling components and their interactions within signaling networks. These conventional approaches, although useful, lack the ability to control the spatial and temporal aspects of signaling processes. The recently emerged optogenetic tools open exciting opportunities by enabling signaling regulation with superior temporal and spatial resolution, easy delivery, rapid reversibility, fewer off-target side effects, and the ability to dissect complex signaling networks. Here we review recent achievements in using light to control intracellular signaling pathways and discuss future prospects for the field, including integration of new genetic approaches into optogenetics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. Electronic address: kaizkaiz@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Electronic address: bcui@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Bianxiao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016923:Cell Death; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D056931:Cryptochromes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D055537:Light Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D062308:Optogenetics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D051939:Phytochrome B / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods; D055550:Protein Stability; D021381:Protein Transport; D059748:Proteolysis
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C103618:CRY2 protein, Arabidopsis; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D056931:Cryptochromes; C497952:PHYB protein, Arabidopsis; C525052:Uvr8 protein, Arabidopsis; D051939:Phytochrome B
keywords: Dronpa; LOV; UVR8; cryptochrome; intracellular signaling pathways; light-induced protein–protein interaction; oligomerization; optogenetics; photoactivatable proteins; phytochrome; signal transduction