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Microbial rhodopsins, also known as bacterial rhodopsins are retinal-binding proteins that provide light-dependent ion transport and sensory functions in halophilic and other bacteria. They are integral membrane proteins with seven transmembrane helices, the last of which contains the attachment point (a conserved lysine) for retinal.
Absorption of light quanta by microbial rhodopsins (or more generally by retinal proteins) leads to conversion of the light energy to the generation of transmembrane anion or cation gradients, optically gated channels, or signal states in photoreception.