Blue light-mediated manipulation of transcription factor activity in vivo
Shinji Masuda1, Yuki Nakatani, Shukun Ren
1Center for Biological Resources & Informatics, Tokyo Institute of Technology , Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
Abstract:
We developed a novel technique for manipulating the activity of transcription factors with blue light (termed "PICCORO") using the bacterial BLUF-type photoreceptor protein PixD. The chimeric dominant-negative T-box transcription factor No Tail formed heterologous complexes with a PixD decamer in a light-dependent manner, and these complexes affected transcription repressor activity. When applied to zebrafish embryos, PICCORO permitted regulation of the activity of the mutant No Tail in response to 472-nm light provided by a light-emitting diode.
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