Probing Channelrhodopsin Electrical Activity in Algal Cell Populations

Photoelectric recording from populations of phototactic flagellate algae provides a means to study channelrhodopsin functions in vivo. Technical simplicity, versatility, high sensitivity, and reproducibility are the advantages of this assay over recording from individual algal cells by the suction pipette technique. Here we describe the principles and procedures of this assay.