Controlling Nucleic Acids by Light

Sensory photoreceptors underpin diverse adaptations of organismal behavior, lifestyle and physiology to incident light. In optogenetics, photoreceptors double as genetically encoded, light-gated actuators and enable the noninvasive control of cellular circuits with spatiotemporal precision. Against this backdrop, we investigate and engineer blue-light-responsive receptors of the light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) family. Certain of these photoreceptors unlock novel optogenetic modalities, in particular the control of nucleic-acid-based processes, e.g., transcription, translation and endonuclease activity. Biochemical analyses of receptor structure, function and signaling mechanism unravel the molecular bases for light-dependent allostery and inform additional protein engineering efforts.