Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Channel Rhodopsins01:11

Channel Rhodopsins

2.5K
Most organisms use photoreceptors to sense and respond to light. Examples of photoreceptors include bacteriorhodopsins and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria, phytochromes in plants, and rhodopsins in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebral retina. The light-sensitive property of these receptors is because of the bound chromophores, such as bilin in the phytochromes and retinal in the rhodopsins.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
2.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Structural basis for RISC assembly of human Argonaute2.

Molecular cell·2026
Same author

Structural basis for RISC assembly of human Argonaute2.

Molecular cell·2026
Same author

Neurodevelopmental disorder-linked Argonaute mutations permit delayed RISC formation and unusual shortening of miRNAs by 3'→5' trimming.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Optogenetic Cancer Therapy Using the Light-Driven Outward Proton Pump Rhodopsin Archaerhodopsin-3 (AR3).

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025
Same author

Light-Powered Transport of Organic Anions by Microbial Rhodopsins.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2025
Same author

Rescue of bacterial motility using two- and three-species FliC chimeras.

Journal of bacteriology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Light-Controlled Fermentations for Microbial Chemical and Protein Production
08:37

Light-Controlled Fermentations for Microbial Chemical and Protein Production

Published on: March 22, 2022

4.0K

Bidirectional Optical Control of Proton Motive Force in Escherichia coli Using Microbial Rhodopsins.

Kotaro Nakanishi1, Keiichi Kojima1,2, Yoshiyuki Sowa3

  • 1Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|July 1, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Scientists optically controlled proton motive force (PMF) in Escherichia coli using light-driven proton pumps. This manipulation altered microbial motility and flagellar motor torque, offering new insights into PMF

More Related Videos

Spatiotemporal Control of Protein Activity through Optogenetic Allosteric Regulation
08:00

Spatiotemporal Control of Protein Activity through Optogenetic Allosteric Regulation

Published on: October 4, 2024

541
Optical Control of a Neuronal Protein Using a Genetically Encoded Unnatural Amino Acid in Neurons
08:20

Optical Control of a Neuronal Protein Using a Genetically Encoded Unnatural Amino Acid in Neurons

Published on: March 28, 2016

7.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Light-Controlled Fermentations for Microbial Chemical and Protein Production
08:37

Light-Controlled Fermentations for Microbial Chemical and Protein Production

Published on: March 22, 2022

4.0K
Spatiotemporal Control of Protein Activity through Optogenetic Allosteric Regulation
08:00

Spatiotemporal Control of Protein Activity through Optogenetic Allosteric Regulation

Published on: October 4, 2024

541
Optical Control of a Neuronal Protein Using a Genetically Encoded Unnatural Amino Acid in Neurons
08:20

Optical Control of a Neuronal Protein Using a Genetically Encoded Unnatural Amino Acid in Neurons

Published on: March 28, 2016

7.9K

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biophysics
  • Synthetic Biology

Background:

  • Proton motive force (PMF) is essential for microbial motility, powering flagellar motor rotation.
  • Controlling PMF is key to understanding its diverse biological roles.
  • Current methods for PMF manipulation lack precise temporal and spatial control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a light-inducible system for bidirectional control of PMF in Escherichia coli.
  • To investigate the direct effects of PMF modulation on flagellar motor function and cell motility.
  • To establish a novel optogenetic tool for studying proton transport in microorganisms.

Main Methods:

  • Genetically engineered Escherichia coli strains expressing light-driven proton pump rhodopsins (RmXeR and AR3).
  • Utilized illumination to drive proton influx (AR3) or efflux (RmXeR), altering intracellular PMF.
  • Performed tethered cell experiments to measure flagellar motor torque and assess motility changes under light exposure.

Main Results:

  • Expression of RmXeR led to a decrease in E. coli motility and flagellar motor torque (to 28 pN nm) upon illumination, corresponding to a PMF increase of +146 mV.
  • Expression of AR3 resulted in increased E. coli motility and flagellar motor torque (to 1170 pN nm) upon illumination, corresponding to a PMF decrease of -140 mV.
  • Demonstrated successful bidirectional optical control of PMF, impacting cellular energy states and motility.

Conclusions:

  • Light-driven proton pump rhodopsins enable precise, bidirectional optical control of PMF in E. coli.
  • This optogenetic system provides a powerful new method for dissecting the functional significance of PMF in microbial physiology.
  • The developed system has potential applications in fundamental research and synthetic biology for manipulating cellular energy.