{"id":75159,"date":"2025-07-07T09:12:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T07:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/?p=75159"},"modified":"2025-07-16T14:09:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T12:09:38","slug":"scryorhodopsins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science-technology\/scryorhodopsins\/","title":{"rendered":"Some like it cold: cryorhodopsins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<article class=\"vf-card vf-card--brand vf-card--bordered vf-u-margin__bottom--800\" default>\n  <div class=\"vf-card__content | vf-stack vf-stack--400\">\n      <h3 class=\"vf-card__heading\">\n      Summary    <\/h3>\n                <p class=\"vf-card__text\"><ul>\r\n \t<li>Rhodopsins are a family of proteins that, like chlorophyll, allow organisms to absorb energy from sunlight. Some can be engineered to act as light-operated power switches for electrical activity in cells.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>In a new study, scientists have discovered a group of microbial rhodopsins found exclusively in cold environments, such as glaciers, and named them \u2018cryorhodopsins\u2019.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Some cryorhodopsins are blue, which means they absorb red light \u2013 a rare light absorption property that can have wide applications in many scientific fields.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Cryorhodopsins are the first observed prototypical switches that turn electrical signalling in cells on and off depending on the colour of light they receive \u2013 an ability that offers new possibilities for science and medicine.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/p>\n      <\/div>\n<\/article>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine the magnificent glaciers of Greenland, the eternal snow of the Tibetan high mountains, and the permanently ice-cold groundwater in Finland. As cold and beautiful these are, for the structural biologist Kirill Kovalev, they are more importantly home to unusual molecules that could control brain cells\u2019 activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kovalev, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/postdoctoral-programme\/eipod4-fellowship-programme\/\">EIPOD<\/a> Postdoctoral Fellow at EMBL Hamburg\u2019s Schneider Group and EMBL-EBI\u2019s Bateman Group, is a physicist passionate about solving biological problems. He is particularly hooked by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/embletc\/issue-99\/molecular-solar-panels-can-help-scientists-control-brain-cells\/\">rhodopsins<\/a>, a group of colourful proteins that enable aquatic microorganisms to harness sunlight for energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn my work, I search for unusual rhodopsins and try to understand what they do,\u201d said Kovalev. \u201cSuch molecules could have undiscovered functions that we could benefit from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some rhodopsins have already been modified to serve as light-operated switches for electrical activity in cells. This technique, called optogenetics, is used by neuroscientists to selectively control neuronal activity during experiments. Rhodopsins with other abilities, such as enzymatic activity, could be used to control chemical reactions with light, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having studied rhodopsins for years, Kovalev thought he knew them inside out \u2013 until he discovered a new, obscure group of rhodopsins that were unlike anything he had seen before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As it often happens in science, it started serendipitously. While browsing online protein databases, Kovalev spotted an unusual feature common to microbial rhodopsins found exclusively in very cold environments, such as glaciers and high mountains. \u201cThat\u2019s weird,\u201d he thought. After all, rhodopsins are something you typically find in seas and lakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These cold-climate rhodopsins were almost identical to each other, even though they evolved thousands of kilometres apart. This couldn\u2019t be a coincidence. They must be essential for surviving in the cold, concluded Kovalev, and to acknowledge this, he named them \u2018cryorhodopsins\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a1\"><strong>Rhodopsins out of the blue<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kovalev wanted to know more: what these rhodopsins look like, how they work, and, in particular, what colour they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Colour is the key feature of each rhodopsin. Most are pink-orange \u2013 they reflect pink and orange light, and absorb green and blue light, which activates them. Scientists strive to create a palette of different coloured rhodopsins, so they could control neuronal activity with more precision. Blue rhodopsins have been especially sought-after because they are activated by red light, which penetrates tissues more deeply and non-invasively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To Kovalev\u2019s amazement, the cryorhodopsins he examined in the lab revealed an unexpected diversity of colours, and, most importantly, some were blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The colour of each rhodopsin is determined by its molecular structure, which dictates the wavelengths of light it absorbs and reflects. Any changes in this structure can alter the colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI can actually tell what\u2019s going on with cryorhodopsin simply by looking at its colour,\u201d laughed Kovalev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Applying advanced structural biology techniques, he figured out that the secret to the blue colour is the same rare structural feature that he originally spotted in the protein databases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow that we understand what makes them blue, we can design synthetic blue rhodopsins tailored to different applications,\u201d said Kovalev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"vf-figure wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"600\" class=\"vf-figure__image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Cryorhodopsins-samples-in-the-sun-1000x600-1.jpg\" alt=\"Seven test tubes in a rack, each containing liquid in a different colour. In the background, there is a lake and sunshine.\" class=\"wp-image-75163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Cryorhodopsins-samples-in-the-sun-1000x600-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Cryorhodopsins-samples-in-the-sun-1000x600-1-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Cryorhodopsins-samples-in-the-sun-1000x600-1-768x461.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"vf-figure__caption\">Rhodopsins are a very colourful family of proteins. The tubes contain cryorhodopsins \u2013 some of them are blue. The photo was taken by Evgeniia Kovaleva, Kirill Kovalev\u2019s wife, whose support is something he deeply values in both his research and wider scientific journey. Credit: Evgeniia Kovaleva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a2\"><strong>UV light unlocks an on-off switch for cells<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, Kovalev\u2019s collaborators examined cryorhodopsins in cultured brain cells. When cells expressing cryorhodopsins were exposed to UV light, it induced electric currents inside them. Interestingly, if the researchers illuminated the cells right afterwards with green light, the cells became more excitable, whereas if they used UV\/red light instead, it reduced the cells\u2019 excitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNew optogenetic tools to efficiently switch the cell\u2019s electric activity both \u2018on\u2019 and \u2018off\u2019 would be incredibly useful in research, biotechnology and medicine,\u201d said Tobias Moser, Group Leader at the University Medical Center G\u00f6ttingen who participated in the study. \u201cFor example, in my group, we develop new optical cochlear implants for patients that can optogenetically restore hearing in patients. Developing the utility of such a multi-purpose rhodopsin for future applications is an important task for the next studies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur cryorhodopsins aren\u2019t ready to be used as tools yet, but they\u2019re an excellent prototype. They have all the key features that, based on our findings, could be engineered to become more effective for optogenetics,\u201d said Kovalev.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a3\"><strong>Evolution\u2019s UV light protector<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When exposed to sunlight even on a rainy winter day in Hamburg, cryorhodopsins can sense UV light, as shown using advanced spectroscopy by Kovalev\u2019s collaborators from Goethe University Frankfurt led by Josef Wachtveitl. Wachtveitl\u2019s team showed that cryorhodopsins are in fact the slowest among all rhodopsins in their response to light. This made the scientists suspect that those cryorhodopsins might act like photosensors letting the microbes \u2018see\u2019 UV light \u2013 a property unheard of among other cryorhodopsins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCan they really do that?\u201d Kovalev kept asking himself. A typical sensor protein teams up with a messenger molecule that passes information from the cell membrane to the cell\u2019s inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kovalev grew more convinced, when together with his collaborators from Alicante, Spain, and his EIPOD co-supervisor, Alex Bateman from EMBL-EBI, they noticed that the cryorhodopsin gene is always accompanied by a gene encoding a tiny protein of unknown function \u2013 likely inherited together, and possibly functionally linked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kovalev wondered if this might be the missing messenger. Using the AI tool <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/annual-report\/ar2021\/alphafold-a-game-changer-for-structural-biology\">AlphaFold<\/a>, the team were able to show that five copies of the small protein would form a ring and interact with the cryorhodopsin. According to their predictions, the small protein sits poised against the cryorhodopsin inside the cell. They believe that when cryorhodopsin detects UV light, the small protein could depart to carry this information into the cell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It was fascinating to uncover a new mechanism via which the light-sensitive signal from cryorhodopsins could be passed on to other parts of the cell. It is always a thrill to learn what the functions are for uncharacterised proteins. In fact, we find these proteins also in organisms that do not contain cryorhodopsin, perhaps hinting at a much wider range of jobs for these proteins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why cryorhodopsins evolved their astonishing dual function \u2013 and why only in cold environments \u2013 remains a mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe suspect that cryorhodopsins evolved their unique features not because of the cold, but rather to let microbes sense UV light, which can be harmful to them,\u201d said Kovalev. \u201cIn cold environments, such as the top of a mountain, bacteria face intense UV radiation. Cryorhodopsins might help them sense it, so they could protect themselves. This hypothesis aligns well with our findings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDiscovering extraordinary molecules like these wouldn\u2019t be possible without scientific expeditions to often remote locations, to study the adaptations of the organisms living there,\u201d added Kovalev. \u201cWe can learn so much from that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a4\"><strong>Unique approach to unique molecules<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To reveal the fascinating biology of cryorhodopsins, Kovalev and his collaborators had to overcome several technical challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One was that cryorhodopsins are nearly identical in structure, and even a slight change in the position of a single atom can result in different properties. Studying molecules at this level of detail requires going beyond standard experimental methods. Kovalev applied a 4D structural biology approach, combining X-ray crystallography at EMBL Hamburg&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/macromolecular-crystallography\/beamline-p14\/\">beamline P14<\/a> at the PETRA III synchrotron and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) in the group of Albert Guskov in Groningen, Netherlands, with protein activation by light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"vf-grid | vf-grid__col-2\"><div><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<p>\u201cI actually chose to do my postdoc at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/sites\/hamburg\/\">EMBL Hamburg<\/a>, because of the unique beamline setup that made my project possible,\u201d said Kovalev. \u201cThe whole P14 beamline team worked together to tailor the setup to my experiments \u2013 I\u2019m very grateful for their help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another challenge was that cryorhodopsins are extremely sensitive to light. For this reason, Kovalev\u2019s collaborators had to learn to work with the samples in almost complete darkness.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<div class=\"vf-embed vf-embed--16x9 | vf-u-margin__bottom--400\">\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:ugcPost:7347978571253989376?collapsed=1\" frameborder=\"0\" controls allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n  \n<figcaption class=\"vf-figure__caption vf-u-margin__top--200\">Read Kovalev&#8217;s behind-the-scenes story to learn more about the challenges the scientists faced while working with cryorhodopsins, and how they overcame them.<\/figcaption>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a5\"><strong>Skill building for a young scientist<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kovalev is doing his postdoc in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/about\/info\/postdoctoral-programme\/eipod4-fellowship-programme\/\">EIPOD4<\/a> Fellowship programme, which offers early career researchers the possibility to engage in ambitious research projects involving two or more EMBL group leaders. In his case, the co-supervisors are Thomas Schneider at EMBL Hamburg and Alex Bateman at EMBL-EBI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through this collaborative work, Kovalev has not only learned a lot about cryorhodopsins, but also expanded his skills as project leader. The study involved collaborators from EMBL-EBI, the G\u00f6ttingen University and Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;During my EIPOD fellowship, I progressed from conducting independent, local research to engaging in close collaborations with leading scientists around the world,\u201d Kovalev said. \u201cTogether, we worked to uncover the broader picture of the unique properties of cryorhodopsins. This hands-on learning experience has been truly invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018Cryorhodopsins\u2019 are a group of unusual and colourful microbial molecules found exclusively in cold environments. Some of them are blue, a rare and sought-after light-absorption property. They are the first observed molecules that can act as both \u2018on\u2019 and \u2018off\u2019 switches for electrical&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":75165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17591],"tags":[440,726,749,36,53,363,409,35,489,13664,1714],"embl_taxonomy":[9596,19373,5150],"class_list":["post-75159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-technology","tag-bateman","tag-beamline","tag-eipod","tag-embl-ebi","tag-hamburg","tag-optogenetics","tag-schneider","tag-structural-biology","tag-synchrotron","tag-time-resolved-crystallography","tag-x-ray-crystallography","embl_taxonomy-embl-hamburg","embl_taxonomy-schneider-group","embl_taxonomy-structural-biology-embl-hamburg"],"acf":{"vfwp-news_embl_taxonomy":[9596,19373,5150],"featured":true,"show_featured_image":false,"field_target_display":"embl","field_article_language":{"value":"english","label":"English"},"article_intro":"<p>Rare blue proteins from cold-adapted microbes can serve as prototypes to design molecular on-off switches for cells<\/p>\n","related_links":[{"link_description":"Molecular solar panels can help scientists control brain cells","link_url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/embletc\/issue-99\/molecular-solar-panels-can-help-scientists-control-brain-cells\/"}],"source_article":[{"publication_title":"CryoRhodopsins: a comprehensive characterization of a group of microbial rhodopsins from cold environments.","publication_link":{"title":"","url":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/sciadv.adv1015 ","target":"_blank"},"publication_authors":"Lamm G., et al. ","publication_source":"Science Advances","publication_date":"4 July 2025","publication_doi":"10.1126\/sciadv.adv1015"}],"in_this_article":[{"heading_description":"Rhodopsins out of the blue","anchor":"#a1"},{"heading_description":"UV light unlocks an on-off switch for cells","anchor":"#a2"},{"heading_description":"Evolution\u2019s UV light protector","anchor":"#a3"},{"heading_description":"Unique approach to unique molecules","anchor":"#a4"},{"heading_description":"Skill building for a young scientist","anchor":"#a5"}],"press_contact":"EMBL Generic","article_translations":false,"languages":""},"embl_taxonomy_terms":[{"uuid":"a:3:{i:0;s:36:\"b14d3f13-5670-44fb-8970-e54dfd9c921a\";i:1;s:36:\"89e00fee-87f4-482e-a801-4c3548bb6a58\";i:2;s:36:\"613c4de5-1775-447f-af71-4b07085318e9\";}","parents":[],"name":["EMBL Hamburg"],"slug":"embl-hamburg","description":"Where &gt; All EMBL sites &gt; EMBL Hamburg"},{"uuid":"a:3:{i:0;s:36:\"302cfdf7-365b-462a-be65-82c7b783ebf7\";i:1;s:36:\"2dc39890-6c01-47bf-ac78-d42abdb10079\";i:2;s:36:\"02f22c62-4af1-4c5f-8f8d-6dfbe3c6d5c6\";}","parents":[],"name":["Schneider Group"],"slug":"schneider-group","description":"What &gt; Structural Biology (EMBL Hamburg) &gt; Schneider Group"},{"uuid":"a:3:{i:0;s:36:\"302cfdf7-365b-462a-be65-82c7b783ebf7\";i:1;s:36:\"7ca3ce91-dc32-47ea-8d4b-7a53c3a3a9fd\";i:2;s:36:\"2dc39890-6c01-47bf-ac78-d42abdb10079\";}","parents":[],"name":["Structural Biology (EMBL Hamburg)"],"slug":"structural-biology-embl-hamburg","description":"What &gt; Research Units &gt; Structural Biology (EMBL Hamburg)"}],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Some like it cold: cryorhodopsins | EMBL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u2018Cryorhodopsins\u2019, a mysterious group of molecules, are the first prototypical both \u2018on\u2019 and \u2018off\u2019 switches for electrical signalling in cells.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science-technology\/scryorhodopsins\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Some like it cold: cryorhodopsins | EMBL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u2018Cryorhodopsins\u2019, a mysterious group of molecules, are the first prototypical both \u2018on\u2019 and \u2018off\u2019 switches for electrical signalling in cells.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science-technology\/scryorhodopsins\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMBL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-07T07:12:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-16T12:09:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20241128_Kirill_Rhodopsins_1000X600.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dorota Badowska\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@d_badowska\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@embl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dorota Badowska\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science-technology\/scryorhodopsins\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science-technology\/scryorhodopsins\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dorota Badowska\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/b8ae50efcd7533f0ab2ec368736b1d04\"},\"headline\":\"Some like it cold: cryorhodopsins\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-07T07:12:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-16T12:09:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science-technology\/scryorhodopsins\/\"},\"wordCount\":1457,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science-technology\/scryorhodopsins\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20241128_Kirill_Rhodopsins_1000X600.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"bateman\",\"beamline\",\"eipod\",\"embl-ebi\",\"hamburg\",\"optogenetics\",\"schneider\",\"structural biology\",\"synchrotron\",\"time-resolved crystallography\",\"x-ray crystallography\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science &amp; 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