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Nature Chemical Biology 4, 231 (1 April 2008) | doi:10.1038/nchembio0408-231

Research highlights

Native ion channels lighten up Ion channels mediate action potentials in excitatory neurons in response to stimuli such as ligand-receptor binding and changes in membrane potential. Recently, investigators have engineered ion channels to be gated by light, which provides an orthogonal tool for probing mechanisms of neuronal excitability.