1
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Ho EK, Oatman HR, McFann SE, Yang L, Johnson HE, Shvartsman SY, Toettcher JE. Dynamics of an incoherent feedforward loop drive ERK-dependent pattern formation in the early Drosophila embryo. Development 2023; 150:dev201818. [PMID: 37602510 PMCID: PMC10482391 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Positional information in development often manifests as stripes of gene expression, but how stripes form remains incompletely understood. Here, we use optogenetics and live-cell biosensors to investigate the posterior brachyenteron (byn) stripe in early Drosophila embryos. This stripe depends on interpretation of an upstream ERK activity gradient and the expression of two target genes, tailless (tll) and huckebein (hkb), that exert antagonistic control over byn. We find that high or low doses of ERK signaling produce transient or sustained byn expression, respectively. Although tll transcription is always rapidly induced, hkb converts graded ERK inputs into a variable time delay. Nuclei thus interpret ERK amplitude through the relative timing of tll and hkb transcription. Antagonistic regulatory paths acting on different timescales are hallmarks of an incoherent feedforward loop, which is sufficient to explain byn dynamics and adds temporal complexity to the steady-state model of byn stripe formation. We further show that 'blurring' of an all-or-none stimulus through intracellular diffusion non-locally produces a byn stripe. Overall, we provide a blueprint for using optogenetics to dissect developmental signal interpretation in space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K. Ho
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Harrison R. Oatman
- Program in Quantitative and Computational Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Sarah E. McFann
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Liu Yang
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Heath E. Johnson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Stanislav Y. Shvartsman
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute - Simons Foundation, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - Jared E. Toettcher
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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2
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Pal DS, Lin Y, Zhan H, Banerjee T, Kuhn J, Providence S, Devreotes PN. Optogenetic modulation of guanine nucleotide exchange factors of Ras superfamily proteins directly controls cell shape and movement. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1195806. [PMID: 37492221 PMCID: PMC10363612 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1195806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In this article, we provide detailed protocols on using optogenetic dimerizers to acutely perturb activities of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) specific to Ras, Rac or Rho small GTPases of the migratory networks in various mammalian and amoeba cell lines. These GEFs are crucial components of signal transduction networks which link upstream G-protein coupled receptors to downstream cytoskeletal components and help cells migrate through their dynamic microenvironment. Conventional approaches to perturb and examine these signaling and cytoskeletal networks, such as gene knockout or overexpression, are protracted which allows networks to readjust through gene expression changes. Moreover, these tools lack spatial resolution to probe the effects of local network activations. To overcome these challenges, blue light-inducible cryptochrome- and LOV domain-based dimerization systems have been recently developed to control signaling or cytoskeletal events in a spatiotemporally precise manner. We illustrate that, within minutes of global membrane recruitment of full-length GEFs or their catalytic domains only, widespread increases or decreases in F-actin rich protrusions and cell size occur, depending on the particular node in the networks targeted. Additionally, we demonstrate localized GEF recruitment as a robust assay system to study local network activation-driven changes in polarity and directed migration. Altogether, these optical tools confirmed GEFs of Ras superfamily GTPases as regulators of cell shape, actin dynamics, and polarity. Furthermore, this optogenetic toolbox may be exploited in perturbing complex signaling interactions in varied physiological contexts including mammalian embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhiman Sankar Pal
- Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Dynamics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Yiyan Lin
- Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Dynamics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Huiwang Zhan
- Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Dynamics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Tatsat Banerjee
- Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Dynamics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jonathan Kuhn
- Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Dynamics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Stephenie Providence
- Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Dynamics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Ingenuity Research Program, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Peter N. Devreotes
- Department of Cell Biology and Center for Cell Dynamics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
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3
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McNamara HM, Ramm B, Toettcher JE. Synthetic developmental biology: New tools to deconstruct and rebuild developmental systems. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 141:33-42. [PMID: 35484026 PMCID: PMC10332110 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Technological advances have driven many recent advances in developmental biology. Light sheet imaging can reveal single-cell dynamics in living three-dimensional tissues, whereas single-cell genomic methods open the door to a complete catalogue of cell types and gene expression states. An equally powerful but complementary set of approaches are also becoming available to define development processes from the bottom up. These synthetic approaches aim to reconstruct the minimal developmental patterns, signaling processes, and gene networks that produce the basic set of developmental operations: spatial polarization, morphogen interpretation, tissue movement, and cellular memory. In this review we discuss recent approaches at the intersection of synthetic biology and development, including synthetic circuits to deliver and record signaling stimuli and synthetic reconstitution of pattern formation on multicellular scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold M McNamara
- Lewis Sigler Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Beatrice Ramm
- Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jared E Toettcher
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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4
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Qian W, Good MC. Peeking under the hood of early embryogenesis: Using tools and synthetic biology to understand native control systems and sculpt tissues. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 141:43-49. [PMID: 35525819 PMCID: PMC9633583 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Early embryogenesis requires rapid division of pluripotent blastomeres, regulated genome activation, precise spatiotemporal signaling to pattern cell fate, and morphogenesis to shape primitive tissue architectures. The complexity of this process has inspired researchers to move beyond simple genetic perturbation into engineered devices and synthetic biology tools to permit temporal and spatial manipulation of the control systems guiding development. By precise alteration of embryo organization, it is now possible to advance beyond basic analytical strategies and directly test the sufficiency of models for developmental regulation. Separately, advances in micropatterning and embryoid culture have facilitated the bottom-up construction of complex embryo tissues allowing ex vivo systems to recapitulate even later stages of development. Embryos fertilized and grown ex vivo offer an excellent opportunity to exogenously perturb fundamental pathways governing embryogenesis. Here we review the technologies developed to thermally modulate the embryo cell cycle, and optically regulate morphogen and signaling pathways in space and time, specifically in the blastula embryo. Additionally, we highlight recent advances in cell patterning in two and three dimensions that have helped reveal the self-organizing properties and gene regulatory networks guiding early embryo organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenchao Qian
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA,Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Matthew C. Good
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA,Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA,Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA,Lead Contact,Correspondence: (M.C.G), Address: 421 Curie Blvd, 1151 Biomedical Research Building, Philadelphia PA 19104
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5
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Ho EK, Oatman HR, McFann SE, Yang L, Johnson HE, Shvartsman SY, Toettcher JE. Dynamics of an incoherent feedforward loop drive ERK-dependent pattern formation in the early Drosophila embryo. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.09.531972. [PMID: 36945584 PMCID: PMC10028984 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.09.531972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Positional information in developing tissues often takes the form of stripes of gene expression that mark the boundaries of a particular cell type or morphogenetic process. How stripes form is still in many cases poorly understood. Here we use optogenetics and live-cell biosensors to investigate one such pattern: the posterior stripe of brachyenteron (byn) expression in the early Drosophila embryo. This byn stripe depends on interpretation of an upstream signal - a gradient of ERK kinase activity - and the expression of two target genes tailless (tll) and huckebein (hkb) that exert antagonistic control over byn . We find that high or low doses of ERK signaling produce either transient or sustained byn expression, respectively. These ERK stimuli also regulate tll and hkb expression with distinct dynamics: tll transcription is rapidly induced under both low and high stimuli, whereas hkb transcription converts graded ERK inputs into an output switch with a variable time delay. Antagonistic regulatory paths acting on different timescales are hallmarks of an incoherent feedforward loop architecture, which is sufficient to explain transient or sustained byn dynamics and adds temporal complexity to the steady-state model of byn stripe formation. We further show that an all-or-none stimulus can be 'blurred' through intracellular diffusion to non-locally produce a stripe of byn gene expression. Overall, our study provides a blueprint for using optogenetic inputs to dissect developmental signal interpretation in space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Ho
- Department of Molecular Biology Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Harrison R Oatman
- Program in Quantitative and Computational Biology Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Sarah E McFann
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Liu Yang
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Heath E Johnson
- Department of Molecular Biology Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Stanislav Y Shvartsman
- Department of Molecular Biology Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
- Flatiron Institute, New York, NY 10010
| | - Jared E Toettcher
- Department of Molecular Biology Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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6
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Fan H, Barnes C, Hwang H, Zhang K, Yang J. Precise modulation of embryonic development through optogenetics. Genesis 2022; 60:e23505. [PMID: 36478118 PMCID: PMC9847014 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed enormous progress in optogenetics, which uses photo-sensitive proteins to control signal transduction in live cells and animals. The ever-increasing amount of optogenetic tools, however, could overwhelm the selection of appropriate optogenetic strategies. In this work, we summarize recent progress in this emerging field and highlight the application of opsin-free optogenetics in studying embryonic development, focusing on new insights gained into optical induction of morphogenesis, cell polarity, cell fate determination, tissue differentiation, neuronal regeneration, synaptic plasticity, and removal of cells during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaxun Fan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Collin Barnes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Hyojeong Hwang
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, USA
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA,Authors for correspondence: Kai Zhang, Ph.D., , 600 South Mathews Avenue, 314 B Roger Adams Laboratory,Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA, Phone: 1-217-300-0582; Jing Yang, Ph.D., , 2001 S Lincoln Ave, VMBSB3411, Urbana, Illinois 61802, USA, Phone: 1-217-333-6825
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61802, USA,Authors for correspondence: Kai Zhang, Ph.D., , 600 South Mathews Avenue, 314 B Roger Adams Laboratory,Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA, Phone: 1-217-300-0582; Jing Yang, Ph.D., , 2001 S Lincoln Ave, VMBSB3411, Urbana, Illinois 61802, USA, Phone: 1-217-333-6825
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7
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Lusk JB, Chua EHZ, Kaur P, Sung ICH, Lim WK, Lam VYM, Harmston N, Tolwinski NS. A non-canonical Raf function is required for dorsal-ventral patterning during Drosophila embryogenesis. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7684. [PMID: 35538124 PMCID: PMC9090920 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11699-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper embryonic development requires directional axes to pattern cells into embryonic structures. In Drosophila, spatially discrete expression of transcription factors determines the anterior to posterior organization of the early embryo, while the Toll and TGFβ signalling pathways determine the early dorsal to ventral pattern. Embryonic MAPK/ERK signaling contributes to both anterior to posterior patterning in the terminal regions and to dorsal to ventral patterning during oogenesis and embryonic stages. Here we describe a novel loss of function mutation in the Raf kinase gene, which leads to loss of ventral cell fates as seen through the loss of the ventral furrow, the absence of Dorsal/NFκB nuclear localization, the absence of mesoderm determinants Twist and Snail, and the expansion of TGFβ. Gene expression analysis showed cells adopting ectodermal fates much like loss of Toll signaling. Our results combine novel mutants, live imaging, optogenetics and transcriptomics to establish a novel role for Raf, that appears to be independent of the MAPK cascade, in embryonic patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay B Lusk
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, 138527, Singapore
| | | | - Prameet Kaur
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, 138527, Singapore
| | | | - Wen Kin Lim
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, 138527, Singapore
| | | | - Nathan Harmston
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, 138527, Singapore
- Program in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
| | - Nicholas S Tolwinski
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, 138527, Singapore.
- Yale-NUS College Research Labs @ E6, E6, 5 Engineering Drive 1, #04-02, Singapore, 117608, Singapore.
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8
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Singh AP, Wu P, Ryabichko S, Raimundo J, Swan M, Wieschaus E, Gregor T, Toettcher JE. Optogenetic control of the Bicoid morphogen reveals fast and slow modes of gap gene regulation. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110543. [PMID: 35320726 PMCID: PMC9019726 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental patterning networks are regulated by multiple inputs and feedback connections that rapidly reshape gene expression, limiting the information that can be gained solely from slow genetic perturbations. Here we show that fast optogenetic stimuli, real-time transcriptional reporters, and a simplified genetic background can be combined to reveal the kinetics of gene expression downstream of a developmental transcription factor in vivo. We engineer light-controlled versions of the Bicoid transcription factor and study their effects on downstream gap genes in embryos. Our results recapitulate known relationships, including rapid Bicoid-dependent transcription of giant and hunchback and delayed repression of Krüppel. In addition, we find that the posterior pattern of knirps exhibits a quick but inverted response to Bicoid perturbation, suggesting a noncanonical role for Bicoid in directly suppressing knirps transcription. Acute modulation of transcription factor concentration while recording output gene activity represents a powerful approach for studying developmental gene networks in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand P Singh
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Sergey Ryabichko
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - João Raimundo
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Michael Swan
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Eric Wieschaus
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Thomas Gregor
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Jared E Toettcher
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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9
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Zhu D, Johnson HJ, Chen J, Schaffer DV. Optogenetic Application to Investigating Cell Behavior and Neurological Disease. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:811493. [PMID: 35273478 PMCID: PMC8902366 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.811493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells reside in a dynamic microenvironment that presents them with regulatory signals that vary in time, space, and amplitude. The cell, in turn, interprets these signals and accordingly initiates downstream processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and self-organization. Conventional approaches to perturb and investigate signaling pathways (e.g., agonist/antagonist addition, overexpression, silencing, knockouts) are often binary perturbations that do not offer precise control over signaling levels, and/or provide limited spatial or temporal control. In contrast, optogenetics leverages light-sensitive proteins to control cellular signaling dynamics and target gene expression and, by virtue of precise hardware control over illumination, offers the capacity to interrogate how spatiotemporally varying signals modulate gene regulatory networks and cellular behaviors. Recent studies have employed various optogenetic systems in stem cell, embryonic, and somatic cell patterning studies, which have addressed fundamental questions of how cell-cell communication, subcellular protein localization, and signal integration affect cell fate. Other efforts have explored how alteration of signaling dynamics may contribute to neurological diseases and have in the process created physiologically relevant models that could inform new therapeutic strategies. In this review, we focus on emerging applications within the expanding field of optogenetics to study gene regulation, cell signaling, neurodevelopment, and neurological disorders, and we comment on current limitations and future directions for the growth of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danqing Zhu
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Hunter J. Johnson
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Jun Chen
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - David V. Schaffer
- California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: David V. Schaffer
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10
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Dutta S, Patel AL, Keenan SE, Shvartsman SY. From complex datasets to predictive models of embryonic development. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 1:516-520. [PMID: 38217248 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-021-00110-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Modern studies of embryogenesis are increasingly quantitative, powered by rapid advances in imaging, sequencing and genome manipulation technologies. Deriving mechanistic insights from the complex datasets generated by these new tools requires systematic approaches for data-driven analysis of the underlying developmental processes. Here, we use data from our work on signal-dependent gene repression in the Drosophila embryo to illustrate how computational models can compactly summarize quantitative results of live imaging, chromatin immunoprecipitation and optogenetic perturbation experiments. The presented computational approach is ideally suited for integrating rapidly accumulating quantitative data and for guiding future studies of embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayantan Dutta
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis Sigler Institute of Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Aleena L Patel
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis Sigler Institute of Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Shannon E Keenan
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis Sigler Institute of Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Stanislav Y Shvartsman
- Lewis Sigler Institute of Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
- Center of Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, USA.
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