On July 7th, a team of scientists accidentally discovered the first 'phagoprotein' in the sea of Galilee, Israel. This cellular component helps plants and microbes collect sunlight and extract energy from it. This is the last 50 years, Scientists have discovered 'phagoproteins' for the first time. This unexpected discovery will help researchers better understand how microbes sense light, and it will promote new light-based research and new data storage technologies.
Many organisms use light-sensitive proteins to collect solar energy and help them survive. Some organisms use chlorophyll to convert sunlight into photosynthesis, while some organisms use rhodopsins to convert sunlight into energy. It is understood that rhodopsin Quality is a protein that combines with a vitamin A acidification structure called retinal to capture the sun's rays. The most famous rhodopsin is found in the rods of our eyes, helping us see it in dark environments. To things. But another form of rhodopsin can help micro-organisms such as algae and bacteria absorb light to produce chemical energy.
The researchers began searching for this rhodopsin when collecting DNA samples from the Sea of Galilee in Israel. They returned to the laboratory to screen for DNA genes encoding photoreactive proteins. When they added retinal to the host's E. coli, it It turned purple, indicating that rhodopsin may exist. When they further tested the DNA, they discovered a new type of phagocytic protein, which they named 'heliorhodopsin'. The latest research report was published in June. Published in the journal Nature.
Scientists are not quite sure how hereorhodopsin works. Its DNA is very similar to the rhodopsin that produces chemical energy. But because the light conversion cycle takes a long time to complete, the researchers suspect it is a light-sensitive protein, similar to The rhodopsin in the human eye. We know for sure that this new type of protein seems to be ubiquitous, present in bacteria, algae and archaea, and even viruses that live on Earth as long as they have soil and water. At the same time, this protein type exists in photobacteria and other microorganisms that have only been discovered until now.
This light-sensitive protein can be applied to many fields such as data storage, optogenetics, etc., enabling scientists to manipulate transgenic nerve cells using light. But first scientists must answer some questions about the fundamentals of this protein.
