Stress granule dysfunction via chromophore-associated light inactivation

Stress granules (SGs) are cytoplasmic condensates composed of various proteins and RNAs that protect translation-associated machinery from harmful conditions during stress. However, the method of spatio-temporal inactivation of condensates such as SGs in live cells to study cellular phenotypes is still in the process of being demonstrated. Here, we show that the inactivation of SG by chromophore-associated light inactivation (CALI) using a genetically encoded red fluorescence protein (SuperNova-Red) as a photosensitizer leads to differences in cell viability during recovery from hyperosmotic stress. CALI delayed the disassembly kinetics of SGs during recovery from hyperosmotic stress. Consequently, CALI could inactivate the SGs, and the cellular fate due to SGs could be analyzed. Furthermore, CALI is an effective spatiotemporal knockdown method for intracellular condensates/aggregates and would contribute to the elucidation of importance of such condensates/aggregates.