Light-Induced Protein Dimerization by One- and Two-Photon Activation of Gibberellic Acid Derivatives in Living Cells

We developed a highly efficient system for light-induced protein dimerization in live cells using photo-caged derivatives of the phytohormone gibberellic acid (GA(3)). We demonstrate the application of the photo-activatable chemical inducer of dimerization (CID) for the control of protein translocation with high spatiotemporal precision using light as an external trigger. Furthermore, we present a new two-photon (2P)-sensitive caging group, whose exceptionally high two-photon cross section allows the use of infrared light to efficiently unleash the active GA(3) for inducing protein dimerization in living cells.