Primary Citation of Related Structures: 5TE3, 5TE5
PubMed Abstract:
Vertebrate rhodopsin (Rh) contains 11- cis -retinal as a chromophore to convert light energy into visual signals. On absorption of light, 11- cis -retinal is isomerized to all- trans -retinal, constituting a one-way reaction that activates transducin (G t ) followed by chromophore release ...
Vertebrate rhodopsin (Rh) contains 11- cis -retinal as a chromophore to convert light energy into visual signals. On absorption of light, 11- cis -retinal is isomerized to all- trans -retinal, constituting a one-way reaction that activates transducin (G t ) followed by chromophore release. Here we report that bovine Rh, regenerated instead with a six-carbon-ring retinal chromophore featuring a C 11 =C 12 double bond locked in its cis conformation (Rh6mr), employs an atypical isomerization mechanism by converting 11- cis to an 11,13- dicis configuration for prolonged G t activation. Time-dependent UV-vis spectroscopy, HPLC, and molecular mechanics analyses revealed an atypical thermal reisomerization of the 11,13- dicis to the 11- cis configuration on a slow timescale, which enables Rh6mr to function in a photocyclic manner similar to that of microbial Rhs. With this photocyclic behavior, Rh6mr repeatedly recruits and activates G t in response to light stimuli, making it an excellent candidate for optogenetic tools based on retinal analog-bound vertebrate Rhs. Overall, these comprehensive structure-function studies unveil a unique photocyclic mechanism of Rh activation by an 11- cis -to-11,13- dicis isomerization.
Organizational Affiliation:
Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106.
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