Engineering a light-activated caspase-3 for precise ablation of neurons in vivo (original) (raw)
ADS
;
Abstract
We have engineered a light-activated caspase (Caspase-LOV) to better understand the roles of caspases in cells and to create a tool that would kill cells with temporal and spatial selectivity. This modified caspase is created based on the endogenous mechanism of caspase activation by adding a light-sensitive protein domain (LOV2) from oats into the intersubunit linker of the caspase. We tested variations of the Caspase-LOV construct in vitro and in Drosophila and found that it will kill many types of cells with light specificity. We were also able to use the Caspase-LOV to determine the time course of degeneration in two different neuronal cell types after caspase activation.
Publication:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Pub Date:
September 2017
DOI:
Bibcode: