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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Spatiotemporal Control of Protein Activity through Optogenetic Allosteric Regulation

Spatiotemporal Control of Protein Activity through Optogenetic Allosteric Regulation

Published on: October 4, 2024

Visualizing the mechanical activation of Src.

Yingxiao Wang¹, Elliot L Botvinick, Yihua Zhao

¹Department of Bioengineering and the Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.

|April 23, 2005

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Mechanical forces trigger cell signaling through Src activation. A novel reporter reveals waves of Src activation propagating along cell membranes, guided by the cytoskeleton, offering insights into mechanotransduction.

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Area of Science:

Cellular mechanobiology
Biophysics
Molecular cell biology

Background:

Cellular functions are significantly influenced by mechanical cues.
The mechanisms of mechanical stimulus transduction into biochemical signals are not fully understood.
Src regulates integrin-cytoskeleton interactions, crucial for mechanical signal transduction.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a tool for imaging and quantifying Src activation in live cells.
To investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of Src activation in response to mechanical stimuli.
To elucidate the role of the cytoskeleton in transmitting mechanical signals.

Main Methods:

Development of a genetically encoded Src reporter using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET).
Application of localized mechanical stimulation using laser-tweezer traction on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).
Imaging and quantification of Src activation dynamics in response to mechanical force.

Main Results:

Observed rapid, distal Src activation upon mechanical stimulation.
Detected a slower, directional wave propagation of Src activation along the plasma membrane at 18.1 nm/s.
Demonstrated that disruption of actin filaments or microtubules abolished force-induced Src activation.

Conclusions:

Mechanotransduction involves dynamic, cytoskeleton-mediated transmission of Src activation signals.
The developed Src reporter enables spatio-temporal characterization of mechanotransduction in live cells.
Mechanical forces direct biochemical signals through the cytoskeleton to specific cellular locations.