A blue light receptor that mediates RNA binding and translational regulation

摘要: Sensory photoreceptor proteins underpin light-dependent adaptations in nature and enable the optogenetic control of organismal behavior physiology. We identified bacterial light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) PAL that sequence-specifically binds short RNA stem loops with around 20 nM affinity blue light weaker than 1 µM darkness. A crystal structure rationalizes unusual receptor architecture C-terminal LOV photosensor N-terminal effector units. The light-activated PAL–RNA interaction can be harnessed to regulate gene expression at level as a function both bacteria mammalian cells. present results elucidate new signal-transduction paradigm receptors conjoin biology regulation, thereby paving way toward hitherto inaccessible optoribogenetic modalities. was found bind manner, which