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The study of enzyme mechanisms or fast cellular regulation processes, among others, critically depends on a technique that rapidly switches on the system under study, without being disruptive to the cells or their components. A pulse of laser light may be used as a trigger, but only if the system is responding to light. Therefore, numerous photoactivatable biomolecules have been developed to act as "photoswitches" for almost every biological system. With contributions by more than 30 expert researchers, this handbook covers the whole spectrum from chemistry to cell biology and from theory to application. In so doing, it deals with a broad range of topics from the chemistry and biophysics of caged compounds to their application in time-resolved studies, comparing the properties of different caging groups. The authors describe in detail light-activation of proteins as well as nucleic acids, while a special section is devoted to multiphoton phototriggers. The whole is rounded off with a look at challenges for the future. A must-have for every biochemist, biophysicist, organic and photochemist, as well as molecular and cell biologists developing and working with these novel methods.
List of contents
INTRODUCTION
PHOTOREMOVEABLE PROTECTING GROUPS USED FOR THE CAGING OF BIOMOLECULES
Photoremovable Protecting Groups -
2-Nitrobenzyl and 7-Nitroindoline derivatives
Coumarin-4-ylmethyl phototriggers
p-Hydroxyphenacyl: A photoremovable protecting group for caging bioactive substrates
Caging of ATP and Glutamate: A comparative analysis
MECHANISTIC OVERVIEW OF PHOTOTRIGGERS AND CAGE RELEASE
CAGED AMINO ACIDS AND PEPTIDES AND SOLID PHASE SYNTHESIS
CONTROL OF CELLULAR ACITIVITY
Photochemical Release of Second Messengers -
Caged Cyclic Nucleotides
Caged Nitric Oxide
Photochemical Release of Neutrotransmitters
Caged Neutrotransmitters for Probing Neuronal Circuits, Neuronal Integration and Synaptic Plasticity
PHOTOREGULATION OF PROTEINS
Light-activated Proteins: An Overview
Photochemical Enzyme Regulation Using Caged Proteins
The Use of Caged Proteins in Cell-Based Systems
PHOTOREMOVABLE PROTECTING GROUPS IN DNA SYNTHESIS AND MICROARRAY FABRICATION
ANALYTICAL TIME-RSOLVED STUDIES USING PHOTOCHMCAL TRIGGERING MEHTODS
Time-resolved FTIR of Caged Compounds
Selected Examples
New Perspectives in Kinetic Protein Cystallography Using Caged Compounds
TWO-PHOTON AND MULITIPHOTON PHOTOTRIGGERS
NEW CHALLENGES
Protein Folding -
Laser-induced T-jump method, a Nonconventional Photo-releasing Approach to Study Protein Folding
Early Kinetic Events in Protein Folding. The Development and Applications of Caged Peptides
Caged RNA: Photocontrol of RNA Processing
Photoregulation of Gene Expression -
Light Reversible Suppression of DNA Bioactivity with Cage Compounds
Photoactivated Gene Expression Through Small Molecule Inducers
Report
"...belongs in the libraries of any research university or corporation that deals with novel dynamic biological processes..." ( E-STREAMS , June 2006)
