Simplified method to modify disease signaling with light

Date:
October 22, 2020
Source:
University of Turku
Summary:
Cellular optogenetics is a technique that allows researchers to
use light to precisely control cell signaling and function in
space and time enabling the investigation of mechanisms involved
in disease processes. A research team has developed a novel way to
make cellular optogenetic tools much easier to monitor and apply,
and showed how they can be used to investigate the cellular side
effects of medicines used to treat cancer.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Most diseases are caused by aberrant cell signaling processes and basic research in cell signaling is needed to identify targets for future
therapeutic approaches, especially in cases where no cures or effective treatments are currently available.


========================================================================== Cellular optogenetics uses light to precisely control cell signaling
in space and over time, making it an invaluable technique for disease
research. However, this potentially revolutionary method has been
difficult for many researchers to use as, over long periods of time,
the used light can itself have adverse effects on biological systems
and the optogenetic tools can inactivate unexpectedly rapidly.

Now, researchers from the University of Turku in Finland, in collaboration
with Frankfurt University Hospital in Germany, have developed a novel way
to harness the quantum mechanical phenomenon of resonance energy transfer
to design optogenetic tools that are more sensitive to light. The new
method also informs the user exactly when an optogenetic tool is going
to inactivate in cells. If continued activity is required, just the right amount of additional light can then be re-applied to re-activate the tool.

Combining these advances with existing tools and knowledge, the
researchers were able to design and build more efficient optogenetic
tools to investigate signaling pathways. With the improved tools, they
studied two common chemotherapy drugs known to cause side effects on
neurons and cause neuropathic pain. The new tools revealed how both
activatory and inhibitory pathways contribute to the actions of these
drugs on the investigated disease-associated pathway.

"Now we can develop more powerful tools to understand precisely how
harmful conditions disrupt signaling in living cells. This information is likely to help us in identifying targets and designing better therapeutic compounds for conditions such as chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain,"
says Lili Li, the lead author of the study and Postdoctoral Researcher
at the Turku Bioscience Centre.

"There is still considerable potential to further exploit these quantum mechanical phenomena to devise even better quantitative and informative
methods in biology and medicine, which could support the future discovery
of new therapeutic approaches," adds senior author of the study Michael Courtney.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Turku. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Li-Li Li, Florence M. Klein, Lorenzo Li Greci, Arkadiusz Popinigis,
Florian Freudenberg, Michael J. Courtney. Resonance energy
transfer sensitises and monitors in situ switching of LOV2-based
optogenetic actuators. Nature Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI:
10.1038/s41467-020- 18816-8 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201022112626.htm

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