Organisms of all domains of life use photoreceptor proteins to sense and respond to light.
The light-sensitivity of photoreceptor proteins arises from bound chromophores such as …

The new and vibrant field of optogenetics was founded by the seminal discovery of
channelrhodopsin, the first light-gated cation channel. Despite the numerous applications …

Gloeobacter rhodopsin (GR) is a cyanobacterial proton pump which can be potentially
applied to optogenetics. We solved the crystal structure of GR and found that it has overall …

Proteorhodopsins are the most abundant retinal based photoreceptors and their
phototrophic function might be relevant in marine ecosystems. Here, we describe their …

In the last twenty years, our understanding of the rules and mechanisms for the outward light-
driven proton transport (and underlying proton transfers) by microbial rhodopsins has been …

Microbial rhodopsins are photoreceptive membrane proteins of microorganisms that express
diverse photobiological functions. All-trans-retinylidene Schiff base, the so-called all-trans …

Hydrogen production through water splitting is a vital strategy for renewable and sustainable
clean energy. In this study, we developed an approach integrating nanomaterial …

Ion pumps are membrane proteins that actively translocate ions by using energy. All known
pumps bind ions in the resting state, and external energy allows ion transport through …

Microbial pump rhodopsins are highly versatile light-driven membrane proteins that couple
protein conformational dynamics with ion translocation across the cell membranes …

Diatoms are a major phytoplankton group responsible for approximately 20% of carbon
fixation on Earth. They perform photosynthesis using light-harvesting chlorophylls located in …