In vivo optogenetic manipulations of endogenous proteins reveal spatiotemporal roles of microtubule and kinesin in dendrite patterning.

ABSTRACT: During animal development, the spatiotemporal properties of molecular events largely determine the biological outcomes. Conventional gene analysis methods lack the spatiotemporal resolution for precise dissection of developmental mechanisms. Although optogenetic tools exist for manipulating designer proteins in cultured cells, few have been successfully applied to endogenous proteins in live animals. Here, we report OptoTrap, a light-inducible clustering system for manipulating endogenous proteins of diverse sizes, subcellular locations, and functions in Drosophila. This system turns on fast, is reversible in minutes or hours, and contains variants optimized for neurons and epithelial cells. By using OptoTrap to disrupt microtubules and inhibit kinesin-1 in neurons, we show that mic

SUBMITTER: Xu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11364106 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature