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Biofortifying green optogenetics

Nature Plants volume 7, pages 104–105 (2021)Cite this article

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In plants, the absence of the retinal cofactor hinders the implementation of light-gated ion channels and optogenetic control of membrane potentials through rhodopsins. The engineering of β-carotene conversion into retinal now makes this powerful approach possible.

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Fig. 1: Engineering of retinal production in plants facilitates optogenetic control of membrane depolarization.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Synthetic Biology and CEPLAS, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Uriel Urquiza-Garcia & Matias D. Zurbriggen

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  1. Uriel Urquiza-Garcia
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  2. Matias D. Zurbriggen
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Correspondence to Matias D. Zurbriggen.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Urquiza-Garcia, U., Zurbriggen, M.D. Biofortifying green optogenetics. Nat. Plants 7, 104–105 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00860-x

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