Phys.org  April 11, 2022 Microorganisms that produce useful substances are usually developed by modifying metabolism to convert energy that would normally be used for growth into a resource for synthesizing these target substances. Researchers in Japan used light, an external energy source, to improve production of useful substances without disrupting the microorganisms’ natural metabolism. As a test they introduced a heterologous membrane protein called rhodopsin into Escherichia coli. Rhodopsin is a pump that is activated by light, and the action of the pump leads to the generation of ATP without using the cell’s natural machinery to produce it. This approach […]