Perturbation of nuclear proteins by optogenetic trapping in Drosophila ovary.

NLS-LARIAT enables light-controlled, reversible clustering of diverse GFP-tagged nuclear proteins in Drosophila ovary, revealing rapid, localized functions.

• Why it matters: Understanding nuclear protein dynamics is crucial for deciphering genome organization and gene regulation, but existing tools are limited mainly to transcription factors, leaving many nuclear components inaccessible for precise manipulation.
• What they did: The authors engineered NLS-LARIAT by fusing a nuclear localization sequence to LARIAT, allowing light-induced clustering of various GFP-tagged nuclear proteins, including transcriptional regulators and nuclear structures, in Drosophila ovarian cells.
• The result: This platform mimics genetic inhibition effects and uncovers rapid, localized roles of nuclear proteins, providing a versatile tool to study nuclear organization and function across biological systems.