Chang got a genetic foothold on this sensory system by labeling GPCRs in mice and engineering them to produce
channelrhodopsin, a
molecule that allowed the scientists to use light to manipulate the cells» function and study the neurons sorted by different GPCRs.
By genetically inserting light - activated biological
molecules such as
channelrhodopsins, a family of proteins found in algae, into neurons, scientists can instantaneously turn them on using beams of blue light with millisecond precision.