Light-guided embryogenesis: Using optogenetics to probe and replace developmental signaling patterns.

Abstract

In every organism, proper development requires sophisticated spatial signaling patterns to segregate different tissues and temporal signaling dynamics to control cell movements fate choices over time. Yet precisely perturbing and measuring signaling during development is notoriously challenging: chemical stimuli diffuse and are often slow to wash away, and genetic perturbations are irreversible and lack spatial and temporal precision. I will discuss our recent efforts to overcome these challenges using optogenetics to produce developmental patterns and biosensors to measure signaling. Of note, we have found that optogenetic stimuli can rescue the genetic loss of terminal signaling in the Drosophila embryo, indicating that a synthetic light-sensitive protein and simple illumination pattern can be used to supply all of the essential information contained in at least one development signaling pattern.