Light-Dependent Cytoplasmic Recruitment Enhances the Dynamic Range of a Nuclear Import Photoswitch.

ABSTRACT: Cellular signal transduction is often regulated at multiple steps to achieve more complex logic or precise control of a pathway. For instance, some signaling mechanisms couple allosteric activation with localization to achieve high signal to noise. Here, we create a system for light-activated nuclear import that incorporates two levels of control. It consists of a nuclear import photoswitch, light-activated nuclear shuttle (LANS), and a protein engineered to preferentially interact with LANS in the dark, Zdk2. First, Zdk2 is tethered to a location in the cytoplasm that sequesters LANS in the dark. Second, LANS incorporates a nuclear localization signal (NLS) that is sterically blocked from binding to the nuclear import machinery in the dark. If activated with light, LANS both dissociates f

SUBMITTER: Yumerefendi H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6013380 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature