Optogenetic control of the integrated stress response reveals proportional encoding and the stress memory landscape

To understand ISR signaling we engineered photo-switchable control over the ISR stress sensor kinase PKR (opto-PKR), which allows virtual control of the ISR. Using controlled light inputs to activate opto-PKR we traced information flow in the ISR both globally, in the transcriptome, and for key ISR effectors To investigate transcriptomic dynamics of opto-PKR-induced ISR over time, H4-cells bearing opto-PKR were illuminated using the optoPlate device to collect 7 samples across 720 mins.