Lauren R. Polstein

TL;DR: A Cas9-based transactivator that is targeted to DNA sequences by guide RNA molecules is created, demonstrating a simple and versatile approach for RNA-guided gene activation.

TL;DR: A light-activated CRISPR/Cas9 effector (LACE) system that induces transcription of endogenous genes in the presence of blue light is engineered by fusing the light-inducible heterodimerizing proteins CRY2 and CIB1 to a transactivation domain and the catalytically inactive dCas9, respectively.

TL;DR: Light-inducible transcription using engineered zinc finger proteins (LITEZ) enables new approaches for precisely regulating gene expression in biotechnology and medicine, as well as studying gene function, cell–cell interactions, and tissue morphogenesis.

TL;DR: The results show that TALE- and CRISPR-based transcriptional activators are highly specific in both DNA binding and gene regulation and are able to open targeted regions of closed chromatin independent of gene activation.

TL;DR: Two different approaches to regulate cellular protein levels with light are developed: a system using CRY2 and CIB1 to induce protein expression with light through stimulation of transcription, and a system uses CRY1 and a LOV-fused degron to simultaneously block transcription and deplete protein levelswith light.