{
  "abstract": "Cellular morphodynamics require adaptive cytoskeletal remodeling, mediated by precisely coordinated activation and termination of RhoA GTPase signaling. RhoA activation is well-studied, but the kinetics and molecular basis of signaling termination remain poorly understood. We engineered an optogenetic toolbox on the single-component BcLOV4 platform for bidirectional control of RhoA activation (opto-GEF11) and termination (opto-DLC1). Prior studies have inferred GTPase inactivation kinetics indirectly, by tracking passive recovery from an activated state, but whether this reflects the kinetics of forward signaling termination remains unclear. Using opto-DLC1, we show that direct RhoA termination is an order of magnitude faster than passive disactivation, despite comparable signaling amplitude. Mechanistically, opto-DLC1 triggered rapid actin disassembly through cofilin disinhibition but drove YAP nuclear efflux at half the rate of opto-GEF11-induced nuclear influx. Together, these findings introduce a platform technology for controlling protein signaling termination, resolve RhoA activation and termination kinetics with sub-second precision, and reveal a mechanistic asymmetry between signaling activation and termination that enables cytoskeletal homeostasis.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of Pennsylvania"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "E. E. Berlew"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Barakat"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. Camacho Sierra"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "J. D. Boerckel"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2m175hnt5h4jz.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.03.749286",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.03.749286v1.full",
  "id": "2m175hnt5h4jz",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.03.749286v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "bioengineering"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Protein Kinase Regulation and GTPase Signaling"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7211895186",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.03.749286v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-03",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2m175hnt5h4jz.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:00Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.03.749286",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.03.749286v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:bioengineering",
      "subfield": "systems-synthetic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Cytoskeletal disassembly by optogenetic control of RhoA signaling termination",
  "title_text": "Cytoskeletal disassembly by optogenetic control of RhoA signaling termination",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:00Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2m175hnt5h4jz",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}