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Updated: May 28, 2026

Optical Control of a Neuronal Protein Using a Genetically Encoded Unnatural Amino Acid in Neurons
Published on: March 28, 2016
Photoswitchable click amino acids: light control of conformation and bioactivity
Christian Hoppmann1, Peter Schmieder, Nadja Heinrich
1Department Chemical Biology, Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany. hoppmann@fmp-berlin.de
Abstract:
Click the switch: By using a photoswitchable click amino acid (PSCaa) a light-induced intramolecular thiol-ene click reaction with a neighboring cysteine under very mild conditions results in an azobenzene bridge. By expanding the genetic code for PSCaa the specific incorporation of photoswitch units into proteins in living cells can result in an exciting approach for studying light-controllable activity, in vivo.
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