Calcium-permeable channelrhodopsins for the photocontrol of calcium signalling

Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are light-gated ion channels used to control excitability of designated cells in large networks with high spatiotemporal resolution. While ChRs selective for H+, Na+, K+ and anions have been discovered or engineered, Ca2+-selective ChRs have not been reported to date.

Through the excellent collaboration between various neuroscientists in Berlin, ChRs and mutant derivatives were analyzed with regard to their Ca2+ permeability.

The results were published on nature communications.

Authors and Affiliations

Institute of Biology, Experimental Biophysics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Rodrigo G. Fernandez Lahore, Enrico Peter, Linda Tillert, Johannes Vierock, Johannes Oppermann & Peter Hegemann

Molecular Neuroscience and Biophysics, Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Berlin, Germany
Niccolò P. Pampaloni & Andrew J. R. Plested

Institute of Biology, Cellular Biophysics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Niccolò P. Pampaloni & Andrew J. R. Plested

Institute of Neurophysiology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
M.-Marcel Heim & David Owald

Neuroscience Research Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Linda Tillert, Johannes Vierock & Dietmar Schmitz

Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Jakob Walther

German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
Dietmar Schmitz & Benjamin R. Rost