Optogenetic and chemogenetic control of proteins has revealed otherwise inaccessible facets of signaling dynamics. Here we use light or ligand-sensitive domains to modulate the structural disorder of diverse proteins, thereby generating robust allosteric switches. Sensory domains were inserted into non-conserved, surface exposed loops that were tight and identified computationally as allosterically coupled to active sites. Allosteric switches introduced into motility signaling proteins (kinases, GTPases, guanine exchange factors) controlled conversion between conformations closely resembling natural active and inactive states, and modulated the morphodynamics of living cells. Our results illustrate a broadly applicable approach to design physiological protein switches.

More than 21 million prescriptions for warfarin are written yearly in the U.S. Despite its importance, warfarin's target, vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR), has resisted purification since its identification in 1972. Here, we report its purification and reconstitution. HPC4, a calcium-specific antibody that recognizes a 12-aa tag, was used to purify and identify VKOR. Partial reconstitution is achieved on the column by washing with 0.4% dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/0.4% deoxycholate. Activity is completely recovered by dialysis against a buffer containing a reducing agent but lacking dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/deoxycholate. Removal of detergent from the eluted proteins apparently facilitates liposome formation. Purified recombinant VKOR with tag is ≈21 kDa, as expected; fully active; and >93% pure. The concentration of warfarin for 50% inhibition is the same for purified protein and microsomes. It has been reported that VKOR is a multisubunit enzyme. Our results, however, suggest that a single peptide can accomplish both the conversion of vitamin K epoxide to vitamin K and vitamin K to reduced vitamin K. This purification will allow further characterization of VKOR in relation to other components of the vitamin K cycle and should facilitate its structural determination.

We describe an approach to selectively activate a kinase in a specific protein complex or at a specific subcellular location within living cells, and within minutes. This reveals the effects of specific kinase pathways without time for genetic compensation. The new technique, dubbed RapRTAP (rapamycin regulated targeted activation of pathways) was used to dissect the role of Src kinase interactions with FAK and p130Cas in cell motility and morphodynamics. The overall effects of Src activation on cell morphology and adhesion dynamics were first quantified, without restricting effector access. Subsets of Src induced behaviors were then attributed to specific interactions between Src and the two downstream proteins. Activation of Src in the cytoplasm versus at the cell membrane also produced distinct phenotypes. The conserved nature of the kinase site modified for RapRTAP indicates that the technique can be applied to many kinases.

The Src kinase family comprises nine homologous members whose distinct expression patterns and cellular distributions indicate that they have unique roles. These roles have not been determined because genetic manipulation has not produced clearly distinct phenotypes, and the kinases' homology complicates generation of specific inhibitors. Through insertion of a modified FK506 binding protein (insertable FKBP12, iFKBP) into the protein kinase isoforms Fyn, Src, Lyn, and Yes, we engineered kinase analogs that can be activated within minutes in living cells (RapR analogs). Combining our RapR analogs with computational tools for quantifying and characterizing cellular dynamics, we demonstrate that Src family isoforms produce very different phenotypes, encompassing cell spreading, polarized motility, and production of long, thin cell extensions. Activation of Src and Fyn led to patterns of kinase translocation that correlated with morphological changes in temporally distinct stages. Phenotypes were dependent on N-terminal acylation, not on Src homology 3 (SH3) and Src homology 2 (SH2) domains, and correlated with movement between a perinuclear compartment, adhesions, and the plasma membrane.image analysis | motion classification | live cell imaging | protein engineering | rapamycin

In 2009, the passing of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act facilitated the establishment of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), and gave it regulatory authority over the marketing, manufacture and distribution of tobacco products, including those termed ‘modified risk’. On 4–6 April 2016, the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, Inc. (IIVS) convened a workshop conference entitled, In Vitro Exposure Systems and Dosimetry Assessment Tools for Inhaled Tobacco Products, to bring together stakeholders representing regulatory agencies, academia and industry to address the research priorities articulated by the FDA CTP. Specific topics were covered to assess the status of current in vitro smoke and aerosol/vapour exposure systems, as well as the various approaches and challenges to quantifying the complex exposures in in vitro pulmonary models developed for evaluating adverse pulmonary events resulting from tobacco product exposures. The four core topics covered were: a) Tobacco Smoke and E-Cigarette Aerosols; b) Air–Liquid Interface- In Vitro Exposure Systems; c) Dosimetry Approaches for Particles and Vapours/ In Vitro Dosimetry Determinations; and d) Exposure Microenvironment/Physiology of Cells. The 2.5-day workshop included presentations from 20 expert speakers, poster sessions, networking discussions, and breakout sessions which identified key findings and provided recommendations to advance these technologies. Here, we will report on the proceedings, recommendations, and outcome of the April 2016 technical workshop, including paths forward for developing and validating non-animal test methods for tobacco product smoke and next generation tobacco product aerosol/vapour exposures. With the recent FDA publication of the final deeming rule for the governance of tobacco products, there is an unprecedented necessity to evaluate a very large number of tobacco-based products and ingredients. The questionable relevance, high cost, and ethical considerations for the use of in vivo testing methods highlight the necessity of robust in vitro approaches to elucidate tobacco-based exposures and how they may lead to pulmonary diseases that contribute to lung exposure-induced mortality worldwide.