2026-04-20 徳島大学
図1. OptoChaperone の概念図
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.tokushima-u.ac.jp/docs/71480.html
- https://www.tokushima-u.ac.jp/fs/5/0/1/4/1/5/_/260420pressrelease.pdf
- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.6c04074
オプトシャペロン – 細胞内と試験管内のタンパク質凝縮体を制御するバイオハイブリッドツール OptoChaperone─A Biohybrid Tool for Regulating Protein Condensates in Cells and In Vitro
Do Thanh Tuan,Motonori Matsusaki,Honoka Ota,Soichiro Kawagoe,Hettimudalige Dilini Nisansala,Munehiro Kumashiro,Noriyoshi Isozumi,Hiroyuki Kumeta,Yohei Kono,Takeshi Shimi,Koichiro Ishimori,Eiichiro Mori,Satoshi Arai,and Tomohide Saio
Journal of the American Chemical Society Published: April 19, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c04074
Abstract
Protein condensates formed via liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) are increasingly recognized as key players in diverse cellular processes, including those associated with disease. Despite extensive efforts to characterize their formation and function, tools that enable precise, reversible, and spatiotemporal control of LLPS remain limited. Here, we report OptoChaperone, a light-activatable molecular system designed to manipulate protein condensates both in vitro and in living cells. This biohybrid system leverages photoresponsive switching to control chaperone activity: blue light triggers the suppressive function, leading to the dissolution of protein condensates, whereas UV light deactivates the system, allowing condensate formation. We demonstrate the efficacy of OptoChaperone in regulating several disease-related protein condensates, such as fused in sarcoma, TAR DNA-binding protein 43, and heat shock factor 1. Importantly, the system exhibits reversible and robust control over droplet dynamics without requiring chemical additives or genetic modifications of the client proteins. Given the reversibility and efficiency of OptoChaperone in the manipulation of protein condensates, this tool offers a powerful platform for dissecting the roles of protein condensation in cellular physiology and pathology. This strategy also holds potential for broader applications in synthetic biology, biomolecular engineering, and therapeutic modulation of aberrant phase separation.
