Proteins are biomolecules in living organisms that play important roles in order for cells to function. Most cell signaling networks are tightly regulated by protein-protein interactions. For many biological events, protein localization is precisely controlled in time and space at specific subcellular locations and length scales. Chemically-induced protein dimerization (CID) technique has been developed and applied to study a variety of biological processes. However, to dissect these highly complex and often reversible biological networks, a molecule that can control protein interactions with high spatiotemporal precision in a rapid and reversible manner is needed. Here, we introduce a new, modular, photo-controlled synthetic molecule that is capable of inducing and reversing the dimerization of genetically engineered proteins with light. We show that we can successfully utilize this system to control peroxisome transport and cell division in living human cells, demonstrating that our system can be applied to a wide range of biological processes.

Optochemical control of protein dimerization in living cells

254th National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.