KillerOrange, a Genetically Encoded Photosensitizer Activated by Blue and Green Light.

Genetically encoded photosensitizers, proteins that produce reactive oxygen species when illuminated with visible light, are increasingly used as optogenetic tools. Their applications range from ablation of specific cell populations to precise optical inactivation of cellular proteins. Here, we repo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Karen S Sarkisyan, Olga A Zlobovskaya, Dmitry A Gorbachev, Nina G Bozhanova, George V Sharonov, Dmitriy B Staroverov, Evgeny S Egorov, Anastasia V Ryabova, Kyril M Solntsev, Alexander S Mishin, Konstantin A Lukyanov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2015-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4683004?pdf=render
Description
Summary:Genetically encoded photosensitizers, proteins that produce reactive oxygen species when illuminated with visible light, are increasingly used as optogenetic tools. Their applications range from ablation of specific cell populations to precise optical inactivation of cellular proteins. Here, we report an orange mutant of red fluorescent protein KillerRed that becomes toxic when illuminated with blue or green light. This new protein, KillerOrange, carries a tryptophan-based chromophore that is novel for photosensitizers. We show that KillerOrange can be used simultaneously and independently from KillerRed in both bacterial and mammalian cells offering chromatic orthogonality for light-activated toxicity.
ISSN:1932-6203