Chemical biology tools for studying tissue development.

Mingming Zhang, Shuo Han

Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Key Laboratory of RNA Innovation Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of molecular and cellular processes is central to unraveling the mechanisms of development, tissue regeneration, and aging. Chemical biology provides a unique and powerful toolkit to meet this challenge, offering methods not only to observe but also to precisely perturb these processes in real time. This review highlights how this toolkit-including genetically encoded fluorescent proteins, bioorthogonal probes, molecular labeling reactions, and synthetic signaling pathways-enable high-resolution mapping and targeted manipulation of cell signaling, cell fates, and tissue microenvironments. We discuss their application across many areas in developmental biology, from decoding morphogen gradients in embryogenesis to targeting the hallmarks of aging. Finally, we envision how integrating these complementary strategies could pave the way for driving future discoveries and inventing therapeutic strategies.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper discusses the use of chemical biology tools to manipulate and observe developmental processes and aging mechanisms. The focus on understanding and potentially addressing the mechanisms of aging aligns with longevity research.

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