Biology 1002B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Channelrhodopsin, Zygospore, Simple Eye In Invertebrates

• School: Western University
• Department: Biology
• Course: Biology 1002B
• Professor: Tom Haffie Denis Maxwell

Document Summary

Harvests light to provide info figure out what the surrounding is like (similar to our eyes) Also harvests energy as a source of energy (using it in photosynthesis) thylakoids in the chloroplast. **function of the eyespot has nothing to do with photosynthesis the functional part of the eyespot that signals to the flagella is the protein channelrhodopsin that is imbedded in the plasma membrane (not in the chloroplast!) **the eyespot is both on the chloroplast and on the plasma membrane. Channelrhodopsin absorbs the photons, and then elicits the response from the flagella. When light is hitting the cell from the right, it can hit channelrhodopsin directly, or it can hit the carotenoids, which allow light to bounce off them so that it hits the channelrhodopsin indirectly increases light-harvesting capacity. However, if the light hits from the left side, it reflects off the carotenoid layer, and therefore, light is not absorbed by the channelrhodopsin.