Illuminating information transfer in signaling dynamics by optogenetics

Cells receive diverse signaling cues from their environment that trigger cascades of biochemical reactions in a dynamic manner. Single-cell imaging technologies have revealed that not only molecular species but also dynamic patterns of signaling inputs determine the fates of signal-receiving cells;...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current opinion in cell biology 2017-12, Vol.49, p.9-15
Main Authors: Isomura, Akihiro, Kageyama, Ryoichiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humans
Optogenetics - methods
Proteins - metabolism
Signal Transduction
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Summary:Cells receive diverse signaling cues from their environment that trigger cascades of biochemical reactions in a dynamic manner. Single-cell imaging technologies have revealed that not only molecular species but also dynamic patterns of signaling inputs determine the fates of signal-receiving cells; however it has been challenging to elucidate how such dynamic information is delivered and decoded in complex networks of inter-cellular and inter-molecular interactions. The recent development of optogenetic technology with photo-sensitive proteins has changed this situation; the combination of microscopy and optogenetics provides fruitful insights into the mechanism of dynamic information processing at the single-cell level. Here, we review recent efforts to visualize the flows of dynamic patterns in signaling pathways, which utilize methods integrating single-cell imaging and optogenetics.
ISSN:0955-0674
1879-0410
DOI:10.1016/j.ceb.2017.11.002