Recent chemical biology research efforts in the Que lab have resulted in a publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society titled “Visible Light Mediated Bidirectional Control over Carbonic Anhydrase Activity in Cells and in Vivo Using Azobenzenesulfonamides.” In this paper, Que reports a photoswitchable inhibitor of the metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase; application of different wavelengths of light control the interactions this inhibitor with the enzyme. A key feature of this photoswitch is a stable “inactive” state that allows for temporally and spatially resolved photoactivation in the presence of purified enzyme as well as in complex biological systems including cells and zebrafish embryos. This paper represents the first extended (up to 48 h) application of fluorinated azobenzenes in vivo. This work was led by Que graduate student Kanchan Aggarwal and includes collaborations with UT MBS faculty Yan (Jessie) Zhang, Ken Johnson, and Johann Eberhart.
