Curated Optogenetic Publication Database

Abstract: Abstract not available.

Abstract: The optogenetic tool LEXY consists of the second light oxygen voltage (LOV) domain of Avena sativa phototropin 1 mutated to contain a nuclear export signal. It allows exporting from the nucleus with blue light proteins of interest (POIs) genetically fused to it. Mutations slowing the dark recovery rate of the LOV domain within LEXY were recently shown to allow for better depletion of some POIs from the nucleus in Drosophila embryos and for the usage of low light illumination regimes. We investigated these variants in mammalian cells and found they increase the cytoplasmic localization of the proteins we tested after illumination, but also during the dark phases, which corresponds to higher leakiness of the system. These data suggest that, when aiming to sequester into the nucleus a protein with a cytoplasmic function, the original LEXY is preferable. The iLEXY variants are, instead, advantageous when wanting to deplete the nucleus of the POI as much as possible.

Abstract: Artificially constructing a fully-fledged tissue - comprising multiple cell types whose identities and spatial arrangements reflect those of a native tissue - remains daunting. There has been impressive progress in generating three-dimensional cell cultures (often dubbed 'organoids') from stem cells. However, it is critical to appreciate that not all such three-dimensional cultures will intrinsically self-organize to spontaneously recreate native tissue architecture. Instead, most tissues in vivo are exogenously patterned by extracellular signaling gradients emanating from organizer cells located outside the tissue. Innovations to impose artificial signaling gradients - using microfluidics, optogenetics, or introducing organizer cells - could thus prove decisive to create spatially patterned tissues in vitro. Additionally, unified terminology to describe these tissue-like simulacra as 'aggregates', 'spheroids', or 'organoids' will be critical for the field.

Abstract: Microtubules are cytoskeletal polymers that separate chromosomes during mitosis and serve as rails for intracellular transport and organelle positioning. Manipulation of microtubules is widely used in cell and developmental biology, but tools for precise subcellular spatiotemporal control of microtubules are currently lacking. Here, we describe a light-activated system for localized recruitment of the microtubule-severing enzyme katanin. This system, named opto-katanin, uses targeted illumination with blue light to induce rapid, localized, and reversible microtubule depolymerization. This tool allows precise clearing of a subcellular region of microtubules while preserving the rest of the microtubule network, demonstrating that regulation of katanin recruitment to microtubules is sufficient to control its severing activity. The tool is not toxic in the absence of blue light and can be used to disassemble both dynamic and stable microtubules in primary neurons as well as in dividing cells. We show that opto-katanin can be used to locally block vesicle transport and to clarify the dependence of organelle morphology and dynamics on microtubules. Specifically, our data indicate that microtubules are not required for the maintenance of the Golgi stacks or the tubules of the endoplasmic reticulum but are needed for the formation of new membrane tubules. Finally, we demonstrate that this tool can be applied to study the contribution of microtubules to cell mechanics by showing that microtubule bundles can exert forces constricting the nucleus.

Abstract: Escherichia coli biofilm may form naturally on biotic and abiotic surfaces; this represents a promising approach for efficient biochemical production in industrial fermentation. Recently, industrial exploitation of the advantages of optogenetics, such as simple operation, high spatiotemporal control, and programmability, for regulation of biofilm formation has garnered considerable attention. In this study, we used the blue light signaling-induced optogenetic system Magnet in an E. coli biofilm-based immobilized fermentation system to produce l-threonine in sufficient quantity. Blue light signaling significantly affected the phenotype of E. coli W1688. A series of biofilm-related experiments confirmed the inhibitory effect of blue light signaling on E. coli W1688 biofilm. Subsequently, a strain lacking a blue light-sensing protein (YcgF) was constructed via genetic engineering, which substantially reduced the inhibitory effect of blue light signaling on biofilm. A high-efficiency biofilm-forming system, Magnet, was constructed, which enhanced bacterial aggregation and biofilm formation. Furthermore, l-threonine production was increased from 10.12 to 16.57 g/L during immobilized fermentation, and the fermentation period was shortened by 6 h. IMPORTANCE We confirmed the mechanism underlying the inhibitory effects of blue light signaling on E. coli biofilm formation and constructed a strain lacking a blue light-sensing protein; this mitigated the aforementioned effects of blue light signaling and ensured normal fermentation performance. Furthermore, this study elucidated that the blue light signaling-induced optogenetic system Magnet effectively regulates E. coli biofilm formation and contributes to l-threonine production. This study not only enriches the mechanism of blue light signaling to regulate E. coli biofilm formation but also provides a theoretical basis and feasibility reference for the application of optogenetics technology in biofilm-based immobilized fermentation systems.

Abstract: Cellular membranes contain numerous lipid species, and efforts to understand the biological functions of individual lipids have been stymied by a lack of approaches for controlled modulation of membrane composition in situ. Here, we present a strategy for editing phospholipids, the most abundant lipids in biological membranes. Our membrane editor is based upon a bacterial phospholipase D (PLD), which exchanges phospholipid head groups through hydrolysis or transphosphatidylation of phosphatidylcholine with water or exogenous alcohols. Exploiting activity-dependent directed enzyme evolution in mammalian cells, we developed and structurally characterized a family of “superPLDs” with up to 100-fold higher activity than wildtype PLD. We demonstrated the utility of superPLDs for both optogenetics-enabled editing of phospholipids within specific organelle membranes in live cells and biocatalytic synthesis of natural and unnatural designer phospholipids in vitro. Beyond the superPLDs, activity-based directed enzyme evolution in mammalian cells is a generalizable approach to engineer additional chemoenzymatic biomolecule editors.

Abstract: Sensory photoreceptors mediate numerous light-dependent adaptations across organisms. In optogenetics, photoreceptors achieve the reversible, non-invasive, and spatiotemporally precise control by light of gene expression and other cellular processes. The light-oxygen-voltage receptor PAL binds to small RNA aptamers with sequence specificity upon blue-light illumination. By embedding the responsive aptamer in the ribosome-binding sequence of genes of interest, their expression can be downregulated by light. We developed the pCrepusculo and pAurora optogenetic systems that are based on PAL and allow to down- and upregulate, respectively, bacterial gene expression using blue light. Both systems are realized as compact, single plasmids that exhibit stringent blue-light responses with low basal activity and up to several 10-fold dynamic range. As PAL exerts light-dependent control at the RNA level, it can be combined with other optogenetic circuits that control transcription initiation. By integrating regulatory mechanisms operating at the DNA and mRNA levels, optogenetic circuits with emergent properties can thus be devised. As a case in point, the pEnumbra setup permits to upregulate gene expression under moderate blue light whereas strong blue light shuts off expression again. Beyond providing novel signal-responsive expression systems for diverse applications in biotechnology and synthetic biology, our work also illustrates how the light-dependent PAL-aptamer interaction can be harnessed for the control and interrogation of RNA-based processes.

Abstract: Single-cell behaviors are essential during early-stage biofilm formation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether single-cell behaviors could be precisely and continuously manipulated by optogenetics. We thus established adaptive tracking illumination (ATI), a novel illumination method to precisely manipulate the gene expression and bacterial behavior of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the surface at the single-cell level by using the combination of a high-throughput bacterial tracking algorithm, optogenetic manipulation, and adaptive microscopy. ATI enables precise gene expression control by manipulating the optogenetic module gene expression and type IV pili (TFP)-mediated motility and microcolony formation during biofilm formation through bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) level modifications in single cells. Moreover, we showed that the spatial organization of single cells in mature biofilms could be controlled using ATI. Therefore, this novel method we established might markedly answer various questions or resolve problems in microbiology. KEY POINTS: • High-resolution spatial and continuous optogenetic control of individual bacteria. • Phenotype-specific optogenetic control of individual bacteria. • Capacity to control biologically relevant processes in engineered single cells.

Abstract: T cells use kinetic proofreading to discriminate antigens by converting small changes in antigen binding lifetime into large differences in cell activation, but where in the signaling cascade this computation is performed is unknown. Previously, we developed a light-gated immune receptor to probe the role of ligand kinetics in T cell antigen signaling. We found significant kinetic proofreading at the level of the signaling lipid diacylglycerol (DAG) but lacked the ability to determine where the multiple signaling steps required for kinetic discrimination originate in the upstream signaling cascade (Tischer and Weiner, 2019). Here we uncover where kinetic proofreading is executed by adapting our optogenetic system for robust activation of early signaling events. We find the strength of kinetic proofreading progressively increases from Zap70 recruitment to LAT clustering to downstream DAG generation. Leveraging the ability of our system to rapidly disengage ligand binding, we also measure slower reset rates for downstream signaling events. These data suggest a distributed kinetic proofreading mechanism, with proofreading steps both at the receptor and at slower resetting downstream signaling complexes that could help balance antigen sensitivity and discrimination.

Abstract: Membrane contact sites (MCSs) mediate crucial physiological processes in eukaryotic cells, including ion signaling, lipid metabolism, and autophagy. Dysregulation of MCSs is closely related to various diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), neurodegenerative diseases, and cancers. Visualization, proteomic mapping and manipulation of MCSs may help the dissection of the physiology and pathology MCSs. Recent technical advances have enabled better understanding of the dynamics and functions of MCSs. Here we present a summary of currently known functions of MCSs, with a focus on optical approaches to visualize and manipulate MCSs, as well as proteomic mapping within MCSs.

Abstract: Cell-surface receptors mediate communication between cells and their environment. Lateral membrane organization and dynamic receptor cluster formation are fundamental in signal transduction and cell signaling. However, it is not yet fully understood how receptor clustering modulates a wide variety of physiologically relevant processes. Recent growing evidence indicates that biological responses triggered by membrane receptors can be modulated even in the absence of the natural receptor ligand. We review the most recent findings on how ligand-independent receptor clustering can regulate transmembrane signaling. We discuss the latest technologies to control receptor assembly, such as DNA nanotechnology, optogenetics, and optochemistry, focusing on the biological relevance and unraveling of ligand-independent signaling.

Abstract: The emerging field of synthetic developmental biology proposes bottom-up approaches to examine the contribution of each cellular process to complex morphogenesis. However, the shortage of tools to manipulate three-dimensional (3D) shapes of mammalian tissues hinders the progress of the field. Here we report the development of OptoShroom3, an optogenetic tool that achieves fast spatiotemporal control of apical constriction in mammalian epithelia. Activation of OptoShroom3 through illumination in an epithelial Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell sheet reduces the apical surface of the stimulated cells and causes displacements in the adjacent regions. Light-induced apical constriction provokes the folding of epithelial cell colonies on soft gels. Its application to murine and human neural organoids leads to thickening of neuroepithelia, apical lumen reduction in optic vesicles, and flattening in neuroectodermal tissues. These results show that spatiotemporal control of apical constriction can trigger several types of 3D deformation depending on the initial tissue context.

Abstract: In recent years, light-responsive systems from the field of optogenetics have been applied to several areas of metabolic engineering with remarkable success. By taking advantage of light's high tunability, reversibility, and orthogonality to host endogenous processes, optogenetic systems have enabled unprecedented dynamical controls of microbial fermentations for chemical production, metabolic flux analysis, and population compositions in co-cultures. In this article, we share our opinions on the current state of this new field of metabolic optogenetics.We make the case that it will continue to impact metabolic engineering in increasingly new directions, with the potential to challenge existing paradigms for metabolic pathway and strain optimization as well as bioreactor operation.

Abstract: The GGGGCC (G4C2) hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9ORF72 gene is a major cause of both hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and familial frontotemporal dementia. Recent studies have shown that G4C2 hexanucleotide repeat-containing RNA transcripts ((G4C2)n RNA) could go through liquid-liquid phase separation to form RNA foci, which may elicit neurodegeneration. However, the direct causality between these abnormal RNA foci and neuronal toxicity remains to be demonstrated. Here we introduce an optogenetic control system that can induce the assembly and phase separation of (G4C2)n RNA foci with blue light illumination in human cells, by fusing a specific (G4C2)n RNA binding protein as the linker domain to Cry2, a protein that oligomerizes in response to blue light. Our results demonstrate that a higher number of G4C2 repeats have the potential to be induced into more RNA foci in the cells. Both spontaneous and induced RNA foci display liquid-like properties according to FRAP measurements. Computational simulation shows strong consistency with the experimental results and supports the effect of our system to promote the propensity of (G4C2)n RNA towards phase separation. This system can thus be used to investigate whether (G4C2)n RNA foci would disrupt normal cellular processes and lead to pathological phenotypes relevant to repeat expansion disorders.

Abstract: The signaling events controlling proliferation, survival, and apoptosis during mammary epithelial acinar morphogenesis remain poorly characterized. By imaging single-cell ERK activity dynamics in MCF10A acini, we find that these fates depend on the average frequency of non-periodic ERK pulses. High pulse frequency is observed during initial acinus growth, correlating with rapid cell motility and proliferation. Subsequent decrease in motility correlates with lower ERK pulse frequency and quiescence. Later, during lumen formation, coordinated multicellular ERK waves emerge, correlating with high and low ERK pulse frequencies in outer surviving and inner dying cells, respectively. Optogenetic entrainment of ERK pulses causally connects high ERK pulse frequency with inner cell survival. Acini harboring the PIK3CA H1047R mutation display increased ERK pulse frequency and inner cell survival. Thus, fate decisions during acinar morphogenesis are coordinated by different spatiotemporal modalities of ERK pulse frequency.

Abstract: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell-based immunotherapy has been increasingly used in the clinic for cancer intervention over the past 5 years. CAR T-cell therapy takes advantage of genetically-modified T cells to express synthetic CAR molecules on the cell surface. To date, up to six CAR T cell therapy products have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of leukaemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. In addition, hundreds of CAR-T products are currently under clinical trials to treat solid tumours. In both the fundamental research and clinical applications, CAR T cell immunotherapy has achieved exciting progress with remarkable remission or suppression of cancers. However, CAR T cell-based immunotherapy still faces significant safety issues, as exemplified by "on-target off-tumour" cytotoxicity due to lack of strict antigen specificity. In addition, uncontrolled massive activation of infused CAR T cells may create severe systemic inflammation with cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. These challenges call for a need to combine nanotechnology and optogenetics with immunoengineering to develop spatiotemporally-controllable CAR T cells, which enable wireless photo-tunable activation of therapeutic immune cells to deliver personalised therapy in the tumour microenvironment.

Abstract: In optogenetics, as in nature, sensory photoreceptors serve to control cellular processes by light. Bacteriophytochrome (BphP) photoreceptors sense red and far-red light via a biliverdin chromophore and, in response, cycle between the spectroscopically, structurally, and functionally distinct Pr and Pfr states. BphPs commonly belong to two-component systems that control the phosphorylation of cognate response regulators and downstream gene expression through histidine kinase modules. We recently demonstrated that the paradigm BphP from Deinococcus radiodurans exclusively acts as a phosphatase but that its photosensory module can control the histidine kinase activity of homologous receptors. Here, we apply this insight to reprogram two widely used setups for bacterial gene expression from blue-light to red-light control. The resultant pREDusk and pREDawn systems allow gene expression to be regulated down and up, respectively, uniformly under red light by 100-fold or more. Both setups are realized as portable, single plasmids that encode all necessary components including the biliverdin-producing machinery. The triggering by red light affords high spatial resolution down to the single-cell level. As pREDusk and pREDawn respond sensitively to red light, they support multiplexing with optogenetic systems sensitive to other light colors. Owing to the superior tissue penetration of red light, the pREDawn system can be triggered at therapeutically safe light intensities through material layers, replicating the optical properties of the skin and skull. Given these advantages, pREDusk and pREDawn enable red-light-regulated expression for diverse use cases in bacteria.

Abstract: Molecular optogenetics is a highly dynamic research field. In the past two years, the field was characterized by the development of new allosteric switches as well as the forward integration of optogenetics research towards application. Further, two areas of research have significantly gathered momentum, the use of optogenetics to control liquid-liquid phase separation as well as the application of optogenetic tools in the extracellular space. Here, we review these areas and discuss future directions.

Abstract: BAR (Bin, Amphiphysin and Rvs) protein domains are responsible for the generation of membrane curvature and represent a critical mechanical component of cellular functions. Thus, BAR domains have great potential as components of membrane-remodeling tools for cell biologists. In this work, we describe the design and implementation of a family of versatile light-gated I-BAR (inverse-BAR) domain containing tools derived from the fusion of the A. thaliana Cryptochrome 2 photoreceptor and I-BAR protein domains ('CRY-BARs') with applications in the remodeling of membrane architectures and the control of cellular dynamics. By taking advantage of the intrinsic membrane binding propensity of the I-BAR domain, CRY-BARs can be used for spatial and temporal control of cellular processes that require induction of membrane protrusions. Using cell lines and primary neuron cultures, we demonstrate here that the CRY-BAR optogenetic tool evokes membrane dynamics changes associated with cellular activity. Moreover, we provide evidence that ezrin, an actin and PIP2 binding protein, acts as a relay between the plasma membrane and the actin cytoskeleton and therefore is an important mediator of switch function. Overall, we propose that CRY-BARs hold promise as a useful addition to the optogenetic toolkit to study membrane remodeling in live cells.

Abstract: Communities of microbes play important roles in natural environments and hold great potential for deploying division-of-labor strategies in synthetic biology and bioproduction. However, the difficulty of controlling the composition of microbial consortia over time hinders their optimal use in many applications. Here, we present a fully automated, high-throughput platform that combines real-time measurements and computer-controlled optogenetic modulation of bacterial growth to implement precise and robust compositional control of a two-strain E. coli community. In addition, we develop a general framework for dynamic modeling of synthetic genetic circuits in the physiological context of E. coli and use a host-aware model to determine the optimal control parameters of our closed-loop compositional control system. Our platform succeeds in stabilizing the strain ratio of multiple parallel co-cultures at arbitrary levels and in changing these targets over time, opening the door for the implementation of dynamic compositional programs in synthetic bacterial communities.

Abstract: Optogenetic approaches enable light-mediated control of cellular activities using genetically encoded photoreceptors. While optogenetic technology is already well established in neuroscience and fundamental research, the implementation of optogenetic tools in bacteriology is still emerging. Engineered bacteria with the specific optogenetic system that function at the transcriptional or post-translational level can sense and respond to light, allowing optogenetic control of bacterial behaviors. In this review, we give a brief overview of available optogenetic systems, including their mode of action, classification, and engineering strategies, and focus on optogenetic control of bacterial behaviors with the highlight of strategies for use of optogenetic systems.

Abstract: Many transcription factors (TFs) translocate to the nucleus with varied dynamic patterns in response to different inputs. A notable example of such behavior is RelA, a subunit of NF-κB, which translocates to the nucleus with either pulsed or sustained dynamics, depending on the stimulus. Our understanding of how these dynamics are interpreted by downstream genes has remained incomplete, partly because ubiquitously used environmental inputs activate other transcriptional regulators in addition to RelA. Here, we use an optogenetic tool, CLASP (controllable light-activated shuttling and plasma membrane sequestration), to control RelA spatiotemporal dynamics in mouse fibroblasts and quantify their effect on downstream genes using RNA-seq. Using RelA-CLASP, we show for the first time that nuclear translocation of RelA, without post-translational modifications or activation of other transcriptional regulators, is sufficient to activate downstream genes. Furthermore, we find that TNFα, a common endogenous input, regulates many genes independently of RelA, and that this gene regulation is different from that induced by RelA-CLASP. Genes responsive to RelA-CLASP show a wide range of dynamics in response to a constant RelA input. We use a simple promoter model to recapitulate these diverse dynamic responses, as well as data collected in response to a pulsed RelA-CLASP input, and extract features of many RelA-responsive promoters. We also pinpoint many genes for which more complex models, involving feedback or multi-step promoters, may be needed to explain their response to constant and pulsed TF inputs. This study introduces a new robust tool for studying mammalian transcriptional regulation and demonstrates the power of optogenetic tools in dissecting the quantitative features of important cellular pathways.

Abstract: Optogenetic tools are widely used to control gene expression dynamics both in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. These tools are used in a variety of biological applications from stem cell differentiation to metabolic engineering. Despite some tools already available in bacteria, no light-inducible system currently exists to control gene expression independently from mammalian transcriptional and/or translational machineries thus working orthogonally to endogenous regulatory mechanisms. Such a tool would be particularly important in synthetic biology, where orthogonality is advantageous to achieve robust activation of synthetic networks. Here we implement, characterize, and optimize a new optogenetic tool in mammalian cells based on a previously published system in bacteria called Opto-T7RNAPs. The tool is orthogonal to the cellular machinery for transcription and consists of a split T7 RNA polymerase coupled with the blue light-inducible magnets system (mammalian OptoT7-mOptoT7). In our study we exploited the T7 polymerase's viral origins to tune our system's expression level, reaching up to an almost 20-fold change activation over the dark control. mOptoT7 is used here to generate mRNA for protein expression, shRNA for protein inhibition, and Pepper aptamer for RNA visualization. Moreover, we show that mOptoT7 can mitigate the gene expression burden when compared to another optogenetic construct. These properties make mOptoT7 a powerful new tool to use when orthogonality and viral RNA species (that lack endogenous RNA modifications) are desired.

Abstract: Studying dynamic biological processes requires approaches compatible with the lifetimes of the biochemical transactions under investigation, which can be very short. We describe a genetically encoded system that allows protein interactomes to be captured using visible light. Our approach involves fusing an engineered flavoprotein to a protein of interest. Brief excitation of the fusion protein leads to local generation of reactive radical species within cell-permeable probes. When combined with quantitative proteomics, the system generates ‘snapshots’ of protein interactions with high temporal resolution. The intrinsic fluorescence of the fusion domain permits correlated imaging and proteomics analyses, a capability that is exploited in several contexts, including defining the protein clients of the major vault protein (MVP). The technology should be broadly useful in the biomedical area.

Abstract: Optogenetics has become a key tool to manipulate biological processes with high spatio-temporal resolution. Recently, a number of commercial and open-source multi-well illumination devices have been developed to provide throughput in optogenetics experiments. However, available commercial devices remain expensive and lack flexibility, while open-source solutions require programming knowledge and/or include complex assembly processes. We present a LED Illumination Tool for Optogenetic Stimulation (LITOS) based on an assembled printed circuit board controlling a commercially available 32 × 64 LED matrix as illumination source. LITOS can be quickly assembled without any soldering, and includes an easy-to-use interface, accessible via a website hosted on the device itself. Complex light stimulation patterns can easily be programmed without coding expertise. LITOS can be used with different formats of multi-well plates, petri dishes, and flasks. We validated LITOS by measuring the activity of the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway in response to different dynamic light stimulation regimes using FGFR1 and Raf optogenetic actuators. LITOS can uniformly stimulate all the cells in a well and allows for flexible temporal stimulation schemes. LITOS's affordability and ease of use aims at democratizing optogenetics in any laboratory.