We present the light-induced photocycle of the paraflagellar swelling
of Euglena gracilis. The kinetics of this process was reconstructed by
sampling its fluorescence emission and switching the excitation light
from 365 nm to 436 nm. Stable intermediates in the photocycle were ma
nifested. The measured millisecond resolution kinetics best fits a Mic
haelis-Menten equation. The data provide strong evidence that the para
flagellar swelling, a three-dimensional natural crystal of a light-det
ecting protein, is the true Euglena photoreceptor.