Lighting Up Cell Signaling with Photoswitchable Kinases
Type
Blog Post
Published
July 25, 2017, 1:20 p.m.
...since other signaling networks can also be non-specifically activated and, like the game of telephone, often...must be transmitted by intermediate messengers. Optical control of kinase activity can provide greater ...greater spatiotemporal resolution than pharmacological or genetic approaches, but only a few such methods exist...Problem:
There is no common method for creating optically controlled kinases.
The Solution:
In Zhou et al...and MEK1 is active or “on.” Dronpa’s color thus indicates MEK1’s current state (Green when off, dark when...kinases good for?
There are a number of potential applications for photoswitchable kinases. Below are a few...endogenous ERK, and its localization serves as an indicator of MEK1 activity. When MEK1 is active, it phosphorylates...