Phototriggered protein syntheses by using (7-diethylaminocoumarin-4-yl)methoxycarbonyl-caged aminoacyl tRNAs
- Journal:
- Nature Communications
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1038/ncomms12501
- Affiliations:
- 1
- Authors:
- 6
Research Highlight
Protein production with laser precision
© Paper Boat Creative/DigitalVision/Getty
Locking a major component of protein synthesis in a molecular cage that can be rapidly opened by a laser beam can control when and where proteins are made.
The time and location of protein generation determines a cell’s biological function. Previous efforts to control this process using light have produced poorly functioning proteins because key components were overexposed to UV radiation.
A team of researchers from Okayama University used the molecular compound (7-diethylaminocoumarin-4-yl) methoxycarbonyl (DEACM) as a cage to trap aa-tRNA, an essential molecule in protein synthesis. They applied a laser beam to the DEACM cage which broke up in just 20 seconds and released the aa-tRNA into the cell where it could start building proteins. The team used this technique to spatially and temporally control protein synthesis in cultured cells, liposomes, a gel and mammal cells.
This method offers a promising tool for investigating how cell function is affected by the time and site of protein synthesis, the authors say.
References
- Nature Communications 7,12507 (2016). doi: 10.1038/ncomms12501
Institutions | Authors | Share |
---|---|---|
Okayama University, Japan | 1.00 |