LILAC: enhanced actin imaging with an optogenetic Lifeact.

Kourtney L KrollAlexander R French Tobin R Sosnick Ronald S Rock

Published in: Nature methods (2023)

Lifeact is a popular peptide-based label of actin filaments in live cells. We have designed an improved Lifeact variant, LILAC, that binds to actin in light using the LOV2 protein. Light control allows the user to modulate actin labeling, enabling image analysis that leverages modulation for an enhanced view of F-actin dynamics in cells. Furthermore, the tool reduces actin perturbations and cell sickness caused by Lifeact overexpression.

Keyphrases

cell migration
induced apoptosis
cell cycle arrest
high resolution
cell proliferation
single cell
endoplasmic reticulum stress
signaling pathway