Illuminating gene expression dynamics by optogenetics

Cells receive diverse signaling cues from their environment that trigger cascades of biochemical reactions in a dynamic manner. Live-cell imaging technologies have revealed dynamic patterns of gene activities; however it has been challenging to clarify how such dynamic information is delivered and decoded in complex networks of inter-cellular and inter-molecular interactions. The recent development of optogenetic technology with photo-sensitive proteins has changed this situation. In this talk, we introduce our recent efforts to visualize the flows of dynamic patterns in gene expression dynamics, which utilize methods combining single-cell imaging and optogenetics.