Toolkit Items

Beggiatoa photoactivated adenylyl cyclase (bPAC) is a blue light-activated optogenetic adenylyl cyclase used to generate cyclic AMP in cells. The cited studies used it to drive cAMP-dependent signaling, including PKA activation, to increase endogenous cortisol in a blue light-dependent manner, and to localize cAMP production to defined subcellular compartments such as the cilium.

synaptoPAC is a presynaptically targeted version of the photoactivated adenylyl cyclase bPAC developed as a light-responsive optogenetic tool for induction of presynaptic plasticity. It is reported to increase action potential-evoked transmission in some neuronal contexts, but this potentiation was not observed in non-granule hippocampal cultures or at Schaffer collateral synapses in CA1 acute slices.

the molecular mechanism of bacteriorhodopsin, a light-driven H+ pump and the best studied microbial rhodopsin, is described.

Many draw inspiration from widely successful fluorescence-based techniques such as stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM).

The Boolean logic gate is a construct pattern incorporated into a photoactivatable CRISPR/Cas9-inducible DNAzyme probe. In the reported system, it contributed to superior spatiotemporal control for dynamic imaging of nuclear Zn2+ in HeLa cells and mice.

Doxycycline-dependent photoactivated gene expression is an engineering approach for controlling gene expression in eukaryotic systems using light in a doxycycline-dependent manner. The available evidence identifies it as a photoactivated inducible expression system but does not provide further construct-level or performance details.

This assay method combines a lateral flow assay strip test with a CRISPR/Cas12a sensing system to visualize nucleic acid cleavage signals. In the cited 2024 Analytical Chemistry study, it was presented within a photoactivatable CRISPR/Cas12a platform for DNA and RNA detection with point-of-care diagnostic potential.

we developed photoactivatable naloxone (PhNX)

super-resolution farfield optical microscopy (nanoscopy) techniques such as ... photoactivation localization microscopy (PALM)

The photoactivation strategy is a light-input engineering method integrated with a CRISPR/Cas9-inducible DNAzyme probe to improve spatiotemporal control of imaging. In the cited 2024 study, this integrated system enabled dynamic monitoring of nuclear Zn2+ in HeLa cells and mice.

we developed photoactivatable oxymorphone (PhOX)

we developed SPACECAT-Spatially PhotoActivatable Color Encoded Cell Address Tags-to annotate, track, and isolate cells while preserving viability

We demonstrated that PAmCherry1, a photoactivatable fluorescent protein commonly used for PALM, can be used as a BiFC probe when split between residues 159 and 160 into two fragments.

The tube-in-tube structure is a construct pattern used as part of a combined diagnostic system with photoactivated CRISPR-Cas12a and recombinase polymerase amplification for visual detection of HPV16. In the cited study, the integrated system is triggered by 302 nm blue UV light and functions as a light-activated diagnostic format.

The UV light-activatable immunostimulatory agent is a rationally designed component of an upconversion nanoparticle-based immunodevice for optical control of antitumor immunity. In the reported system, the agent is activated by UV light, and coupling to an upconversion nanoparticle shifts effective triggering into the near-infrared window for remote activation in vitro and in vivo.

super-resolution imaging methods such as ... fluorescence photoactivation localization microscopy

CRISPR-DNAzyme is a three-stranded DNAzyme probe engineered for in situ imaging of nuclear Zn2+ in living cells. Its catalytic activity is initially blocked by a 20-bp CRISPR/Cas9 recognition site and is activated in the nucleus after Cas9/sgRNA cleavage forms the active DNAzyme structure.

a near-infrared rhodamine dye, prepared by photoirradiation and used as a fluorescent probe in cell imaging

Two-photon-based functional nucleic acid probes are functional nucleic acid biosensing and imaging probes that operate through two-photon excitation or two-photon activation. Reported examples are positioned for biosensing and biomedical imaging, with claimed performance advantages over conventional one-photon functional nucleic acid probes.

The paper reports bacteriophytochrome-derived photoactivatable near-infrared fluorescent proteins PAiRFP1 and PAiRFP2 that use biliverdin and undergo far-red-light-induced conversion to a brighter fluorescent state.

The paper reports bacteriophytochrome-derived photoactivatable near-infrared fluorescent proteins PAiRFP1 and PAiRFP2 that use biliverdin and undergo far-red-light-induced conversion to a brighter fluorescent state.

The spatial light modulator pattern-based activation source in lattice light-sheet microscopy is an assay method that generates stimulating light by changing spatial light modulator patterns and annular masks. In the cited implementation, a Bessel beam stimulation source was integrated into LLSM without changing the optical configuration to enable photoactivation with improved spatiotemporal control.

DiLiCre is an optimized photoactivatable Cre recombinase system described as a doxycycline- and light-inducible Cre recombinase mouse model for optogenetic genome editing. It enables inducible Cre-mediated genome recombination in vivo, including light-induced mutagenesis and positional cell tracing by intravital microscopy.

This knowledge has been applied in the design of synthetic photoswitches and fluorescent reporters with applications in cell biology and biotechnology.

we demonstrate the feasibility and experimental advantages of in vivo photopharmacology using "caged" opioid drugs that are activated in the brain with light after systemic administration in an inactive form

Engineering advances (iRFPs, monomeric miRFPs, photoactivatable PAiRFPs) have improved brightness, stability, and genetic encodability for robust use in mammalian models.

Engineering advances (iRFPs, monomeric miRFPs, photoactivatable PAiRFPs) have improved brightness, stability, and genetic encodability for robust use in mammalian models.

Opsin-free optogenetics has emerged as a powerful tool in cancer immunotherapy because its versatility and photoactivation kinetics align with the timescale of immune cell signaling.

Opsin-free optogenetics has emerged as a powerful tool in cancer immunotherapy because its versatility and photoactivation kinetics align with the timescale of immune cell signaling, and it has given rise to the subfield of optogenetic immunoengineering.

Web research summary identifies PACR as an explicitly identified alternative optogenetic Ca2+ release tool within the review topic.

Engineering advances (iRFPs, monomeric miRFPs, photoactivatable PAiRFPs) have improved brightness, stability, and genetic encodability for robust use in mammalian models.

The review explicitly highlights ruthenium photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) scaffolds among the mechanistic/component classes in scope.

This knowledge has been applied in the design of synthetic photoswitches and fluorescent reporters with applications in cell biology and biotechnology.