Publication by Rauschendorfer et al.: Acute and chronic effects of a light-activated FGF receptor in keratinocytes in vitro and in mice.

Rauschendorfer et al. generated a light-activated FGF receptor variant and expressed it in cultured keratinocytes and in the skin of transgenic mice.The optogenetic approach was highly suitable to study the early steps of FGF receptor signaling, while long-term studies were not possible because of rapid receptor down-regulation. These results highlight the complex consequences of transferring optogenetic cell signaling tools into their relevant cellular contexts.