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Channelrhodopsin
Channelrhodopsins
are a subfamily of
retinylidene proteins
(
rhodopsins
) that function as
light-gated ion channels
. They serve as
sensory
photoreceptor
s 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. Channelrhodopsin-1 (ChR1) and Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) from the model organism
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
are the first discovered channelrhodopsins. Variants have been cloned from other algal species, and more are expected.
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