A number of biological events require organelle transport by cytoskeletal motor proteins that are tightly regulated in time and space. Experimental techniques with comparable temporal and spatial precision allow for probing these highly dynamic processes. Inducible dimerization offers many advantages in dissecting these complex systems. Approaches include rapamycin-induced dimerization, or using a light-sensitive proteins to conditionally control recruitment of motor proteins to organelles in living cells. While many experiments require sustained motor recruitment, however, a technique that can control organelle transport in a reversible manner has been limited. Here, we use a cell-permeable, photocleavable chemical dimerizer to achieve rapid and sustained motor recruitment to individual organelles upon addition of the dimerizer. Notably, we demonstrate that the recruitment of motor proteins to an  organelle can be spatiotemporally reversed with a single pulse of light, indicating that our newly developed technique can be a powerful  tool to study organelle transport by a variety of motor proteins. This technique can also be useful in a wide range of applications in biology.

Organelle transport controlled by a photocleavable chemical inducer of dimerization

251st National Meeting (2016)

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