Cesar Cuevas-Velazquez and colleagues converted SED1, an intrinsically disordered late-embryogenesis-abundant protein from Arabidopsis, into a genetically encoded FRET biosensor. The sensor reports physicochemical changes in the cell interior within seconds of osmotic stress and functions in plant, yeast and human cells, providing a real-time readout of how water loss alters the intracellular environment.
Cuevas-Velazquez CL, Vellosillo T, Guadalupe K, Schmidt BH, Yu F, Moses D, Brophy JAN, Cosio-Acosta D, Das A, Wang L, Jones AM, Covarrubias AA, Sukenik S, Dinneny JR (2021) Intrinsically disordered protein biosensor tracks the physical-chemical effects of osmotic stress on cells. Nature Communications 12:5438. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-25736-8
Dinneny lab 