Team uses optogenetics technology to manipulate intracellular signaling

Credit: Development (2025). DOI: 10.1242/dev.204403
A research team led by Dr. Tetsuya Muramoto of Toho University’s Faculty of Science has demonstrated a mechanism by which periodic chemical signal frequencies within cells regulate gene expression through transcription factors and influence cell fate decisions. This discovery was made using optogenetic technology, which uses light to facilitate the manipulation of biological phenomena.
The findings are published in the journal Development.
This study reveals a mechanism by which periodic intracellular cAMP signal frequency regulates the shuttling of transcription factors between the nucleus and cytoplasm and the formation of multicellular structures. The researchers successfully detected and monitored cAMP using a combination of optogenetic techniques and biosensors, which facilitated accurate real-time analysis of cellular responses.
This finding highlights the importance of frequency-selective cellular responses in developmental biology and provides valuable insight into cell-cell signaling mechanisms.
Further information: Kensuke Yamaha et al, Optogenetic control of cAMP oscillations, revealing the dynamics of frequency-selective transcription factors in Dictyostelium, Development (2025). DOI: 10.1242/dev.204403
Provided by Toho University
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