Light-Activated Gene Expression System Using a Caging-Group-Free Photoactivatable Dye.

ABSTRACT: Optical regulation of transcription using chemical compounds is an effective strategy to manipulate gene expression spatiotemporally. Conventional caging approaches with photoremovable protecting groups may require intense UV-light exposure and release potentially toxic byproducts. To address these problems, here we developed a light-mediated transcriptional regulation system by combining a caging-group-free photoactivatable dye PaX₅₆₀ and a multidrug-binding transcriptional regulator QacR. The cationic dye generated from PaX₅₆₀ through traceless photoconversion bound QacR and reduced its repressor function, resulting in transcriptional activation. Importantly, this system allowed transcriptional activation with a large dynamic range under mild visible light exposure

SUBMITTER: Nonomura T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11753602 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature