light to carry out metabolic processes using a non-chlorophyll-based pathway. Beside that, halorhodopsins of Halobacteria and channelrhodopsins of some algae, e.g. Volvox, serve them as light-gated ion channels, amongst others also for phototactic purposes. Sensory rhodopsins exist in Halobacteria that induce a phototactic response by interacting with transducer membrane-embedded proteins that have no relation to G proteins. Microbal opsins (like channelrhodopsin, halorhodopsin, and archaerhodopsin) are used in optogenetics to switch on or off neuronal activity. Microbal opsins are preferred if the neuronal activity should be modulated at higher frequency, because they respond faster than animal opsins. This is because microbal opsins are ion channels or proton/ion pumps and thus are activated by light directly, while animal opsins activate G-proteins, which then activate effector enzymes that produce metabolites to open ion channels. See also Retinylidene protein Visual cycle Visual phototransduction Microbial rhodopsin Channelrhodopsins External links Illustration at Baldwin-Wallace College References G protein-coupled receptors Vision