Structural and spectral characterizations of C1C2 channelrhodopsin and its mutants by molecular simulations

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and excitation energy calculations of C1C2 chimera channelrhodopsin, a light-gated ion channel protein utilized as a biotechnological tool for optogenetics, based on a protein structure determined recently by X-ray crystallography were performed to investigate its structural and spectral properties. The MD simulations showed stability of hydrogen-bonds responsible for the channel gating observed in the crystallographic structural model. Analysis of electrostatic contribution of the surrounding protein groups to the absorption energy proposes several site-specific mutations that shift absorption maxima significantly, and provides a clear and controlled guide for engineering design of color variant proteins utilized in optogenetics.