iLight2: A near‐infrared optogenetic tool for gene transcription with low background activation

Optogenetic tools (OTs) operating in the far‐red and near‐infrared (NIR) region offer advantages for light‐controlling biological processes in deep tissues and spectral multiplexing with fluorescent probes and OTs acting in the visible range. However, many NIR OTs suffer from background activation i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Protein science 2024-05, Vol.33 (5), p.e4993-n/a
Main Authors: Baloban, Mikhail, Kasatkina, Ludmila A., Verkhusha, Vladislav V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biliverdin
Biliverdin reductase
Biological activity
Cell migration
Darkness
deep tissue
Fluorescent indicators
gene transcription activation
Humans
Infrared Rays
Mice
Mice, Knockout
Molecular modelling
Multiplexing
Near infrared radiation
Optogenetics - methods
phytochrome
Reductases
Transcription activation
Transcription, Genetic
Wound healing
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Optogenetic tools (OTs) operating in the far‐red and near‐infrared (NIR) region offer advantages for light‐controlling biological processes in deep tissues and spectral multiplexing with fluorescent probes and OTs acting in the visible range. However, many NIR OTs suffer from background activation in darkness. Through shortening linkers, we engineered a novel NIR OT, iLight2, which exhibits a significantly reduced background activity in darkness, thereby increasing the light‐to‐dark activation contrast. The resultant optimal configuration of iLight2 components suggests a molecular mechanism of iLight2 action. Using a biliverdin reductase knock‐out mouse model, we show that iLight2 exhibits advanced performance in mouse primary cells and deep tissues in vivo. Efficient light‐controlled cell migration in wound healing cellular model demonstrates the possibility of using iLight2 in therapy and, overall, positions it as a valuable addition to the NIR OT toolkit for gene transcription applications.
ISSN:0961-8368
1469-896X
DOI:10.1002/pro.4993