Channelrhodopsin
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Channelrhodopsins are a subfamily of retinylidene proteins (rhodopsins) that function as light-gated ion channels. They serve as sensory photoreceptors in unicellular green algae, controlling phototaxis: movement in response to light. Expressed in cells of other organisms, they enable light to control electrical excitability, intracellular acidity, calcium influx, and other cellular processes (see optogenetics). Channelrhodopsin-1 (ChR1) and Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) from the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are the first discovered channelrhodopsins. Variants that are sensitive to dif
Research
2,472 papers- Channelrhodopsin-Dependent Photo-Behavioral Responses in the Unicellular Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2021
- The form and function of channelrhodopsin.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2017
- Creating a false memory in the hippocampus.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2013
- Channelrhodopsin-2 Oligomerization in Cell Membrane Revealed by Photo-Activated Localization Microscopy.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2024
- Structural insights into light-gating of potassium-selective channelrhodopsin.Nature communications · 2025
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Encyclopedic overview
13 sectionsContents
- History
- Structure
- Function
- Development as a molecular tool
- Designer-channelrhodopsins
- Kinetics
- Photocurrent amplitude
- Wavelength
- Ion selectivity
- Applications
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Channelrhodopsins are a subfamily of retinylidene proteins (rhodopsins) that function as light-gated ion channels. They serve as sensory photoreceptors in unicellular green algae, controlling phototaxis: movement in response to light. Expressed in cells of other organisms, they enable light to control electrical excitability, intracellular acidity, calcium influx, and other cellular processes (see optogenetics). Channelrhodopsin-1 (ChR1) and Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) from the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are the first discovered channelrhodopsins. Variants that are sensitive to different colors of light or selective for specific ions (ACRs, KCRs) have been cloned from other species of algae and protists.
==History== Phototaxis and photoorientation of microalgae have been studied over more than a hundred years in many laboratories worldwide. In 1980, Ken Foster developed the first consistent theory about the functionality of algal eyes. He also analyzed published action spectra and complemented blind cells with retinal and retinal analogues, which led to the conclusion that the photoreceptor for motility responses in Chlorophyceae is rhodopsin.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Channelrhodopsin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.