How to control proteins with light in living systems.

Author: Gautier A1, Gauron C2, Volovitch M3, Bensimon D4, Jullien L1, Vriz S5.
Affiliation:
11] École Normale Supérieure-Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) Research University, Department of Chemistry, Paris, France. [2] Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Université Paris 06), UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Paris, France. [3] CNRS, UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Paris, France. 2College de France, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS UMR 7241, INSERM U1050, Labex MemoLife, PSL Research University, Paris, France. 31] College de France, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS UMR 7241, INSERM U1050, Labex MemoLife, PSL Research University, Paris, France. [2] École Normale Supérieure, IBENS, CNRS UMR8197, INSERM U1024, PSL Research University, Paris, France. 41] École Normale Supérieure, IBENS, CNRS UMR8197, INSERM U1024, PSL Research University, Paris, France. [2] Laboratoire de Physique Statistique UMR CNRS-ENS 8550, PSL Research University, Paris, France. [3] Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA. 51] College de France, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS UMR 7241, INSERM U1050, Labex MemoLife, PSL Research University, Paris, France. [2] Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
Conference/Journal: Nat Chem Biol.
Date published: 2014 Jul
Other: Volume ID: 10 , Issue ID: 7 , Pages: 533-41 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1038/nchembio.1534 , Word Count: 132



The possibility offered by photocontrolling the activity of biomolecules in vivo while recording physiological parameters is opening up new opportunities for the study of physiological processes at the single-cell level in a living organism. For the last decade, such tools have been mainly used in neuroscience, and their application in freely moving animals has revolutionized this field. New photochemical approaches enable the control of various cellular processes by manipulating a wide range of protein functions in a noninvasive way and with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. We are at a pivotal moment where biologists can adapt these cutting-edge technologies to their system of study. This user-oriented review presents the state of the art and highlights technical issues to be resolved in the near future for wide and easy use of these powerful approaches.
PMID: 24937071

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