Signaling systems of evolved organisms are extremely complex and intriguing. Thus, beyond studying signal transduction in the human brain, we also explore signaling in primary organisms (e.g., algae or fungi) to gain insights into how they have evolved through evolution. Our studies focus on a family of light sensitive membrane proteins, the rhodopsins, that couple light with cellular functions (e.g., enzymatic activity, ion channeling) to mediate basic functions in single-cell eukaryotes. Our studies, that couple molecular biology, biochemistry and advanced microscopy, span from metagenomics to explore new genes, to protein structure and cellular functions.
A recent example is our discovery of the bestrhodopsins, a novel family of rhodopsins fused to ion channels found in algae that assemble as supercomplexes to mediate ion channeling in a light dependent manner. Our current work expands on this initial discovery to further characterize the physiological function of bestrhodopsins in the algal cell and delineating their molecular mechanisms of action.