Yusuke Sakai

The paper characterizes and engineers a bistable cnidopsin from a coral that can switch between states using different light wavelengths, showing potential as an optogenetic tool for regulating Gs-signaling.

This paper identifies a coral opsin, AtAntho2c, that can autonomously regenerate its inactive state through thermal isomerization of retinal, enabling repeated light responses without exogenous retinal.

This study identifies a key amino acid in human OPN5 responsible for UV sensitivity and develops visible light-sensitive variants through site-directed mutagenesis.

This study identifies a novel chloride counterion mechanism in coral opsins that stabilizes the Schiff base proton, enabling light sensitivity without a traditional counterion residue.