Masae Konno

This study uses AI to design novel microbial rhodopsins that absorb blue light and enhance bacterial growth.

The paper identifies and characterizes two novel bacterial schizorhodopsins from Antarctic sources, demonstrating their inward proton-pumping activity and revealing distinct evolutionary and functional features.

The paper identifies widespread xanthorhodopsin genes in cyanobacteria and characterizes a unique variant from an Antarctic cyanobacterium that binds hydroxylated lutein, enhancing light-harvesting efficiency in extreme environments.

The paper reports cryo-EM structures of two methanogenic Schizorhodopsins, revealing distinct proton transport mechanisms and structural adaptations for thermal stability.

The paper uses a machine-learning model to predict red-shifted channelrhodopsin variants, identifying ChR024 with a maximum absorption wavelength of ~578 nm for optogenetics.

The paper reports light energy transfer from hydroxylated carotenoids to heimdallarchaeial rhodopsins in marine archaea, showing light-harvesting capabilities in archaea similar to bacterial rhodopsins.