Small-molecule ligands that manipulate the intracellular location of proteins

Abstract

Synthetic small-molecule ligands that control the intracellular location of proteins would be powerful tools for regulating cellular systems. However, the creation of such molecules has long remained unexplored because of the lack of a design methodology. Here, we introduce a new type of synthetic ligands, self-localizing ligands (SLLs), which spontaneously localize to specific subcellular regions in mammalian cells. We show that SLLs bind their target (exogenously expressed and endogenous) proteins and relocate them rapidly from the cytoplasm to their targeting sites. SLL-induced protein translocation is applicable to manipulate diverse synthetic/endogenous signaling pathways. These results validate the utility of SLLs in the spatial control of intracellular protein localization and signaling processes, opening a new direction in the design of small-molecule-based chemical tools or drugs for cell regulation.