Ultrafast Protein Response in Channelrhodopsin-2 Studied by Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy

Ultrafast infrared transient absorption in the carbonyl vibrational region of protonated aspartate and glutamate residues in channelrhodopsin-2 from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii shows immediate protein response to retinal excitation. The observed difference bands are formed directly after the excitation on the subpicosecond time scale and were assigned to side chains in the retinal vicinity, such as D156 and E90. This finding implies an ultrafast...