Optogenetic tools such as channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) enable the manipulation and mapping of neural circuits. However, ChR2 variants selectively transported down a neuron’s long-range axonal projections for precise presynaptic activation remain lacking.

The introduction of Channelrhodopsin (ChR2) from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has sparked excitement not only in the neurons that express it, but also in many neuroscientists. ChR2 is a light-gated cation channel that activates neurons in …

Aug 26, 2015 · In this study, the authors expressed a light-sensitive microbial protein, Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), in neurons and showed that exposing these neurons to pulses of light could activate...

Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), an algal protein from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, is a light-activated cation channel capable of inducing depolarization and action potentials in neurons. Three protocols are presented in this unit for the use of ChR2, with emphasis on technical aspects of …

Localising ChR2 instead to the axon initial segment (AIS) could prove an extremely useful addition to the optogenetic repertoire, targeting the channel directly to the site of action potential initiation, and limiting depolarisation and associated calcium entry elsewhere in the neuron.

Mar 13, 2011 · We present a new variant, calcium translocating channelrhodopsin (CatCh), which mediates an accelerated response time and a voltage response that is ∼ 70-fold more light sensitive than that of...

Nov 11, 2019 · Shimano et al. introduced channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) into the cochlear nucleus (CN) and demonstrated light-evoked increases in auditory neural activity.

Feb 13, 2025 · ChR2 is a widely used optogenetic tool because when ChR2 is expressed in the nerve cell membrane and irradiated with blue light, Na+ ions mainly flow into the cells, producing depolarization that excites the neurons.

Sep 8, 2014 · Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) is a microbial-type rhodopsin that can be genetically expressed to depolarize neurons with light. Thereby, this “optogenetic tool” delivers cellular specificity and elegant options for studying the neuronal basis of behavior in intact organisms.

Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), the first widely adopted optogenetic tool, is also a blue light activated cation channel. ChR2 is preferred over ChR1 because ChR2 has higher conductance at physiological pH and trafficks well to the membrane.