Viral rhodopsins 1 are an unique family of light-gated cation channels.

ABSTRACT: Phytoplankton is the base of the marine food chain as well as oxygen and carbon cycles and thus plays a global role in climate and ecology. Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses that infect phytoplankton organisms and regulate the phytoplankton dynamics encompass genes of rhodopsins of two distinct families. Here, we present a functional and structural characterization of two proteins of viral rhodopsin group 1, OLPVR1 and VirChR1. Functional analysis of VirChR1 shows that it is a highly selective, Na⁺/K⁺-conducting channel and, in contrast to known cation channelrhodopsins, it is impermeable to Ca²⁺ ions. We show that, upon illumination, VirChR1 is able to drive neural firing. The 1.4 Å resolution structure of OLPVR1 reveals remarkable differences from the k

SUBMITTER: Zabelskii D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7659345 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature