Photoswitchable intein for light control of covalent protein binding and cleavage.

ABSTRACT: Precise control of covalent protein binding and cleavage in mammalian cells is crucial for manipulating cellular processes but remains challenging due to dark background, poor stability, low efficiency, or requirement of unnatural amino acids in current optogenetic tools. We introduce a photoswitchable intein (PS Intein) engineered by allosterically modulating a small autocatalytic gp41-1 intein with tandem Vivid photoreceptor. PS Intein exhibits superior functionality and low background in cells compared to existing tools. PS Intein-based systems enable light-induced covalent binding, cleavage, and release of proteins for regulating gene expression and cell fate. The high responsiveness and ability to integrate multiple inputs allow for intersectional cell targeting using cancer- and tumo

SUBMITTER: Baloban M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12426226 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature