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A genetically encoded photoactivatable Rac controls the motility of living cells

Author

Listed:
  • Yi I. Wu

    (Department of Pharmacology,
    Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA)

  • Daniel Frey

    (Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahn-Strasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany)

  • Oana I. Lungu

    (Department of Pharmacology,
    and
    Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA)

  • Angelika Jaehrig

    (Department of Pharmacology,
    Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA)

  • Ilme Schlichting

    (Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahn-Strasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany)

  • Brian Kuhlman

    (and
    Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA)

  • Klaus M. Hahn

    (Department of Pharmacology,
    Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA)

Abstract

A light touch on proteins Many aspects of cellular function depend on when and where in the cell various protein activities are turned 'on' or 'off' at the molecular level. A new technique that uses light to manipulate the activity of a protein at precise times and places within the living cell has the potential make the study of this fundamental aspect of protein function a practical proposition. It makes use of a genetically encoded, photoactivatable derivative of Rac1, a GTPase that regulates actin cytoskeletal dynamics, which can be activated by exposure to laser light. This localized activation generates precisely localized cell protrusions and ruffling and can direct cell motility. This approach should be extensible to other proteins.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi I. Wu & Daniel Frey & Oana I. Lungu & Angelika Jaehrig & Ilme Schlichting & Brian Kuhlman & Klaus M. Hahn, 2009. "A genetically encoded photoactivatable Rac controls the motility of living cells," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7260), pages 104-108, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:461:y:2009:i:7260:d:10.1038_nature08241
    DOI: 10.1038/nature08241
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    Cited by:

    1. Willow Coyote-Maestas & David Nedrud & Antonio Suma & Yungui He & Kenneth A. Matreyek & Douglas M. Fowler & Vincenzo Carnevale & Chad L. Myers & Daniel Schmidt, 2021. "Probing ion channel functional architecture and domain recombination compatibility by massively parallel domain insertion profiling," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Kirstin Meyer & Nicholas C. Lammers & Lukasz J. Bugaj & Hernan G. Garcia & Orion D. Weiner, 2023. "Optogenetic control of YAP reveals a dynamic communication code for stem cell fate and proliferation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Sijia Zhou & Peng Li & Jiaying Liu & Juan Liao & Hao Li & Lin Chen & Zhihua Li & Qiongyu Guo & Karine Belguise & Bin Yi & Xiaobo Wang, 2022. "Two Rac1 pools integrate the direction and coordination of collective cell migration," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-20, December.
    4. Suchet Nanda & Abram Calderon & Arya Sachan & Thanh-Thuy Duong & Johannes Koch & Xiaoyi Xin & Djamschid Solouk-Stahlberg & Yao-Wen Wu & Perihan Nalbant & Leif Dehmelt, 2023. "Rho GTPase activity crosstalk mediated by Arhgef11 and Arhgef12 coordinates cell protrusion-retraction cycles," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.
    5. Liyuan Zhu & Harold M. McNamara & Jared E. Toettcher, 2023. "Light-switchable transcription factors obtained by direct screening in mammalian cells," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.
    6. Julia Dietler & Renate Gelfert & Jennifer Kaiser & Veniamin Borin & Christian Renzl & Sebastian Pilsl & Américo Tavares Ranzani & Andrés García de Fuentes & Tobias Gleichmann & Ralph P. Diensthuber & , 2022. "Signal transduction in light-oxygen-voltage receptors lacking the active-site glutamine," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, December.
    7. Fuun Kawano & Yuki Aono & Hideyuki Suzuki & Moritoshi Sato, 2013. "Fluorescence Imaging-Based High-Throughput Screening of Fast- and Slow-Cycling LOV Proteins," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(12), pages 1-8, December.

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