Optical manipulation of molecular function by chromophore-assisted light inactivation

In addition to simple on/off switches for molecular activity, spatiotemporal dynamics are also thought to be important for the regulation of cellular function. However, their physiological significance and in vivo importance remain largely unknown. Fluorescence imaging technology is a powerful technique that can reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of molecular activity. In addition, because imaging detects the correlations between molecular activity and biological phenomena, the technique of molecular manipulation is also important to analyze causal relationships. Recent advances in optical manipulation techniques that artificially perturb molecules and cells via light can address this issue to elucidate the causality between manipulated target and its physiological function. The use of light enables the manipulation of molecular activity in microspaces, such as organelles and nerve spines. In this review, we describe the chromophore-assisted light inactivation method, which is an optical manipulation technique that has been attracting attention in recent years.