Cell biology

Neuroscience

Biology

Endoplasmic reticulum

Organelle

Tethering

Mitochondrion

Optogenetics

Chemistry

ACS Synthetic Biology

The organelle interface emerges as a dynamic platform for a variety of biological responses. However, their study has been limited by the lack of tools to manipulate their occurrence in live cells spatiotemporally. Here, we report the development of a genetically encoded light-inducible tethering (LIT) system allowing the induction of contacts between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, taking advantage of a pair of light-dependent heterodimerization called an iLID system. We demonstrate that the iLID-based LIT approach enables control of ER–mitochondria tethering with high spatiotemporal precision in various cell types including primary neurons, which will facilitate the functional study of ER–mitochondrial contacts.

Optogenetic Control of Endoplasmic Reticulum–Mitochondria Tethering