About this Research Topic
Light is one of the most useful resources for the transmission of energy and information, and most living organisms can capture light using rhodopsins. Rhodopsins are classified into two groups, microbial and animal. Both are characterized by a seven-transmembrane domain that binds a small chromophore (retinal), but their functions are different. Animal rhodopsins primarily work as G protein-coupled receptors, whereas microbial rhodopsins have more diverse functions such as ion channels, ion pumps, photosensors, histidine kinases, guanylyl cyclases, and phosphodiesterases. Recently rhodopsins have attracted broad attention from neuroscientists as powerful tools to control intracellular signaling, ion concentrations, and cyclic nucleotide concentrations in a light-dependent manner (termed optogenetics).
The modern history of optogenetics started from the discovery of cation-conducting channel-type rhodopsins (channel rhodopsins), and the original application of optogenetics was limited to the light-triggered control of neural activity. However, in recent decades we have witnessed the discovery and engineering of novel rhodopsins with unique functionalities, structures, and spectral and kinetic properties, and the optogenetics toolbox has been rapidly growing as a result. Concomitantly, the spectrum of optogenetics applications has been widely expanded, especially in neuroscience. The goal of this Research Topic is to cover promising emerging research trends related to novel microbial and animal rhodopsins and their use in optogenetics.
Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Structure-function relationship in rhodopsins
• Photo-reaction dynamics of rhodopsins
• Computational and theoretical studies of rhodopsins
• Rhodopsin mining from nature
• Engineering of rhodopsin-based optogenetics tools
• Optogenetics application of rhodopsins
• Therapeutic perspective of rhodopsins-based optogenetics
We will accept submissions in the form of Research Articles and Reviews.
The modern history of optogenetics started from the discovery of cation-conducting channel-type rhodopsins (channel rhodopsins), and the original application of optogenetics was limited to the light-triggered control of neural activity. However, in recent decades we have witnessed the discovery and engineering of novel rhodopsins with unique functionalities, structures, and spectral and kinetic properties, and the optogenetics toolbox has been rapidly growing as a result. Concomitantly, the spectrum of optogenetics applications has been widely expanded, especially in neuroscience. The goal of this Research Topic is to cover promising emerging research trends related to novel microbial and animal rhodopsins and their use in optogenetics.
Areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• Structure-function relationship in rhodopsins
• Photo-reaction dynamics of rhodopsins
• Computational and theoretical studies of rhodopsins
• Rhodopsin mining from nature
• Engineering of rhodopsin-based optogenetics tools
• Optogenetics application of rhodopsins
• Therapeutic perspective of rhodopsins-based optogenetics
We will accept submissions in the form of Research Articles and Reviews.
Keywords: retinal-binding proteins, light-driven ion pumps, optogenetics, genome and metagenome mining, structure-function relationship, rhodopsins, G protein-coupled receptors, channel rhodopsins, enzyme rhodopsins
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
