Abstract
Genetically encoded optogenetic tools are increasingly popular and useful for perturbing signaling pathways with high spatial and temporal resolution in living cells. Here, we show basic procedures employed to implement optogenetics of Rho GTPases in a macrophage cell line. Methods described here are generally applicable to other genetically encoded optogenetic tools utilizing the blue-green spectrum of light for activation, designed for specific proteins and enzymatic targets important for immune cell functions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Wang H, Hahn KM (2016) LOVTRAP: a versatile method to control protein function with light. Curr Protoc Cell Biol 73:21.10.1–21.10.14. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpcb.12
Shcherbakova DM, Shemetov AA, Kaberniuk AA, Verkhusha VV (2015) Natural photoreceptors as a source of fluorescent proteins, biosensors, and optogenetic tools. Annu Rev Biochem 84:519–550. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-biochem-060614-034411
Wu YI, Wang X, He L, Montell D, Hahn KM (2011) Spatiotemporal control of small GTPases with light using the LOV domain. Methods Enzymol 497:393–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385075-1.00016-0
Wu YI, Frey D, Lungu OI, Jaehrig A, Schlichting I, Kuhlman B, Hahn KM (2009) A genetically encoded photoactivatable Rac controls the motility of living cells. Nature 461(7260):104–108
Christie JM, Gawthorne J, Young G, Fraser NJ, Roe AJ (2012) LOV to BLUF: flavoprotein contributions to the optogenetic toolkit. Mol Plant 5(3):533–544. https://doi.org/10.1093/mp/sss020
Losi A, Gartner W (2012) The evolution of flavin-binding photoreceptors: an ancient chromophore serving trendy blue-light sensors. Annu Rev Plant Biol 63:49–72. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-042811-105538
Pudasaini A, El-Arab KK, Zoltowski BD (2015) LOV-based optogenetic devices: light-driven modules to impart photoregulated control of cellular signaling. Front Mol Biosci 2:18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2015.00018
Zhang K, Cui B (2015) Optogenetic control of intracellular signaling pathways. Trends Biotechnol 33(2):92–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.11.007
Chernov KG, Redchuk TA, Omelina ES, Verkhusha VV (2017) Near-infrared fluorescent proteins, biosensors, and optogenetic tools engineered from phytochromes. Chem Rev 117(9):6423–6446. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00700
Bravo-Cordero JJ, Oser M, Chen X, Eddy R, Hodgson L, Condeelis J (2011) A novel spatiotemporal RhoC activation pathway locally regulates cofilin activity at invadopodia. Curr Biol 21(8):635–644. pii: S0960-9822(11)00311-3
Bravo-Cordero JJ, Moshfegh Y, Condeelis J, Hodgson L (2013) Live cell imaging of RhoGTPase biosensors in tumor cells. Methods Mol Biol 1046:359–370. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-538-5_22
Moshfegh Y, Bravo-Cordero JJ, Miskolci V, Condeelis J, Hodgson L (2014) A Trio-Rac1-Pak1 signalling axis drives invadopodia disassembly. Nat Cell Biol 16(6):574–586. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb2972
Donnelly SK, Cabrera R, Mao SPH, Christin JR, Wu B, Guo W, Bravo-Cordero JJ, Condeelis JS, Segall JE, Hodgson L (2017) Rac3 regulates breast cancer invasion and metastasis by controlling adhesion and matrix degradation. J Cell Biol 216(12):4331–4349. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201704048
Hanna S, Miskolci V, Cox D, Hodgson L (2014) A new genetically encoded single-chain biosensor for Cdc42 based on FRET, useful for live-cell imaging. PLoS One 9(5):e96469. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096469
Miskolci V, Wu B, Moshfegh Y, Cox D, Hodgson L (2016) Optical tools to study the isoform-specific roles of small GTPases in immune cells. J Immunol 196(8):3479–3493. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1501655
Hanna SJ, McCoy-Simandle K, Miskolci V, Guo P, Cammer M, Hodgson L, Cox D (2017) The role of rho-GTPases and actin polymerization during macrophage tunneling nanotube biogenesis. Sci Rep 7(1):8547. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08950-7
Wang H, Vilela M, Winkler A, Tarnawski M, Schlichting I, Yumerefendi H, Kuhlman B, Liu R, Danuser G, Hahn KM (2016) LOVTRAP: an optogenetic system for photoinduced protein dissociation. Nat Methods 13(9):755–758. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.3926
Dagliyan O, Tarnawski M, Chu PH, Shirvanyants D, Schlichting I, Dokholyan NV, Hahn KM (2016) Engineering extrinsic disorder to control protein activity in living cells. Science 354(6318):1441–1444. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aah3404
Cox D, Chang P, Zhang Q, Reddy PG, Bokoch GM, Greenberg S (1997) Requirements for both Rac1 and Cdc42 in membrane ruffling and phagocytosis in leukocytes. J Exp Med 186(9):1487–1494
Spiering D, Bravo-Cordero JJ, Moshfegh Y, Miskolci V, Hodgson L (2013) Quantitative ratiometric imaging of FRET-biosensors in living cells. Methods Cell Biol 114:593–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-407761-4.00025-7
Spiering D, Hodgson L (2012) Multiplex imaging of Rho family GTPase activities in living cells. Methods Mol Biol 827:215–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-442-1_15
Miskolci V, Hodgson L, Cox D (2017) Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based biosensors to probe Rho GTPase activation during phagocytosis. Methods Mol Biol 1519:125–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6581-6_9
Shcherbakova DM, Cox Cammer N, Huisman TM, Verkhusha VV, Hodgson L (2018) Direct multiplex imaging and optogenetics of Rho GTPases enabled by near-infrared FRET. Nat Chem Biol 14:591. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-018-0044-1
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant T32GM007491 to V.M., R01GM129098 and R01GM132098 to L.H. National Cancer Institute P30CA013330 for Analytical Imaging Facility support. Irma T. Hirschl Career Scientist Award to L.H. pTriEX-mVenus-PA-Cdc42 (Addgene #75263), pTriEX-mVenus-PA-Rac1 (Addgene #22007), pTriEX-PA-Rac1 C450R (Addgene #22025), pTriEX-NTOM20-LOV2 WT (Addgene #81009) and pTriEx-mVenus-Zdk1-VAV2 DH/PH/C1 (Addgene #81133) were gifts from Dr. Klaus Hahn (UNC-Chapel Hill).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Hülsemann, M., Verkhusha, P.V., Guo, P., Miskolci, V., Cox, D., Hodgson, L. (2020). Optogenetics: Rho GTPases Activated by Light in Living Macrophages. In: Vancurova, I., Zhu, Y. (eds) Immune Mediators in Cancer. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2108. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0247-8_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0247-8_24
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-0246-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-0247-8
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols