Osmotic pressure regulates DNA labelling and transcription with dCas9-SunTag system in live cells.

ABSTRACT: Extracellular osmotic pressure is a key modulator of intracellular biophysical properties and cellular functions. However, its impact on the cell nucleus remains elusive, largely due to the challenges in real-time measurement of local environmental properties and reaction kinetics at specific loci within the nucleus. Here, we employ the dCas9-SunTag system to investigate the biophysical response at target DNA loci to osmotic pressure alterations. We reveal that variations in extracellular osmotic pressure modulate the efficiency of dCas9-SunTag-mediated fluorescent labelling rapidly and reversibly, with hypoosmotic condition increasing and hyperosmotic condition decreasing the number and fluorescence intensity of foci for telomeres and genes. Strikingly, osmotic pressure also regulates gen

SUBMITTER: Wei T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12823613 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature