Hypersaline environments with salt concentrations up to NaCl saturation are inhabited by a
great diversity of microorganisms belonging to the three domains of life. They all must cope …

Infrared difference spectroscopy probes vibrational changes of proteins upon their
perturbation. Compared with other spectroscopic methods, it stands out by its sensitivity to …

Light-gated rhodopsin cation channels from chlorophyte algae have transformed
neuroscience research through their use as membrane-depolarizing optogenetic tools for …

ChRmine, a recently discovered pump-like cation-conducting channelrhodopsin, exhibits
puzzling properties (large photocurrents, red-shifted spectrum, and extreme light sensitivity) …

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 …

Light-driven sodium pumps actively transport small cations across cellular membranes.
These pumps are used by microorganisms to convert light into membrane potential and …

Chloride transport by microbial rhodopsins is an essential process for which molecular
details such as the mechanisms that convert light energy to drive ion pum** and ensure …

Microbial rhodopsins are a family of photoactive retinylidene proteins widespread
throughout the microbial world. They are notable for their diversity of function, using …

Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein)–coupled receptors (GPCRs)
respond to a variety of different external stimuli and activate G proteins. GPCRs share many …

The capture and utilization of light is an exquisitely evolved process. The single-component
microbial opsins, although more limited than multicomponent cascades in processing …