Retinylidene protein

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Retinylidene proteins, or rhodopsins in a broad sense, are proteins that use retinal as a chromophore for light reception. They are the molecular basis for a variety of light-sensing systems from phototaxis in flagellates to eyesight in animals. [1] Retinylidene proteins include all forms of opsin and rhodopsin (in the broad sense). While rhodopsin in the narrow sense refers to a dim-light visual pigment found in vertebrates, usually on rod cells, rhodopsin in the broad sense (as used here) refers to any molecule consisting of an opsin and a retinal chromophore in the ground state. When activated by light, the chromophore is isomerized, at which point the molecule as a whole is no longer rhodopsin, but a related molecule such as metarhodopsin. However, it remains a retinylidene protein. The chromophore then separates from the opsin, at which point the bare opsin is a retinylidene protein. Thus, the molecule remains a retinylidene protein throughout the phototransduction cycle. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Structure

All rhodopsins consist of two building blocks, a protein moiety and a reversibly covalently bound non-protein cofactor, retinal (retinaldehyde). The protein structure of rhodopsin consists of a bundle of seven transmembrane helices that form an internal pocket binding the photoreactive chromophore. They form a superfamily with other membrane-bound receptors containing seven transmembrane domains, for example odor and chemokine receptors. [5]

Mechanism of light reception

Instead of being activated by binding chemical ligands like their relatives, rhodopsins contain retinal which changes conformation in reaction to light via photoisomerization and thus are activated by light. The retinal molecule can take on several different cis-trans isomeric forms, such as all-trans, 11-cis and 13-cis. Photoisomerization (light-dependent isomerization) of retinal from cis to trans or vice versa induces a conformational change in the receptor protein. This change acts as a molecular switch to activate a signal transduction mechanism within the cell. Depending on the type of rhodopsin, it either opens an ion channel (for example in bacteria) or activates an associated G protein and triggers a second messenger cascade (for example in animal eyes).

Types of rhodopsins

Retinylidene proteins or rhodopsins exist in many species from bacteria to algae and animals. They can be divided into two distinct types based on their sequence as well as the retinal isomer they contain at the ground state and their signal transduction mechanisms. [1]

Microbial rhodopsins

Like animal rhodopsins, microbial rhodopsins (found in prokaryotes and algae) contain a retinal chromophore and have seven transmembrane alpha helices; however, they are not coupled to a G protein. The retinal chromophore differs from the animal 11-cis form and is an all-trans retinal isomer at the ground state, which isomerizes to 13-cis upon light activation; the chromophore is also known as microbial-type chromophore. Examples are bacterial sensory rhodopsins, channelrhodopsins, bacteriorhodopsins, halorhodopsins, proteorhodopsins, archaerhodopsins, heliorhodopsins and xanthorhodopsins to carry out phototrophy. [6]

They act as light-gated ion channels and can be further distinguished by the type of ion they channel. Bacteriorhodopsin functions as a proton pump, whereas halorhodopsin act as a chloride pump. [6] Their functions range from bacterial photosynthesis (bacteriorhodopsin) to driving phototaxis (channelrhodopsins in flagellates). Signal transduction in phototaxis involves depolarization of the cell membrane. [7]

Unicellular flagellate algae contain channelrhodopsins that act as light-gated cation channels when expressed in heterologous systems. Many other pro- and eukaryotic organisms (in particular, fungi such as Neurospora) express rhodopsin ion pumps or sensory rhodopsins of yet-unknown function. Very recently, microbial rhodopsins with guanylyl cyclase activity have been discovered. [8] [9] [10] While all microbial rhodopsins have significant sequence homology to one another, they have no detectable sequence homology to the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family to which animal visual rhodopsins belong. Nevertheless, microbial rhodopsins and GPCRs are possibly evolutionarily related, based on the similarity of their three-dimensional structures. Therefore, they have been assigned to the same superfamily in Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP). [11]

G protein-coupled receptors

The retinylidene proteins of the animal kingdom are also referred to as opsins. Vertebrates contain five subfamilies of (rhod)opsins and arthropods three subfamilies. [12] Opsins belong to the class of G protein-coupled receptors and bind an 11-cis isomer of retinal at the ground state that photoisomerizes to an all-trans retinal upon light activation. They are commonly found in the light-sensing organs, for example in the photoreceptor cells of vertebrate retina where they facilitate eyesight. Animal opsins can also be found in the skin of amphibians, the pineal glands of lizards and birds, the hypothalamus of toads, and the human brain. They can be categorized into several distinct classes including:

Visual perception

The "visual purple" rhodopsin (opsin-2) of the rod cells in the vertebrate retina absorbs green-blue light. The photopsins of the cone cells of the retina differ in a few amino acids resulting in a shift of their light absorption spectra. The three human photopsins absorb yellowish-green (photopsin I), green (photopsin II), and bluish-violet (photopsin III) light and are the basis of color vision, whereas the more light-sensitive "visual purple" is responsible for the monochromatic vision in the dark. Light signal transduction involves an enzyme cascade of G-proteins (transducin), cGMP phosphodiesterase, closure of a cation channel and ultimately hyperpolarization of the visual photoreceptor cell. [13]

The visual rhodopsins of arthropods and molluscs differ from the vertebrate proteins in their signal transduction cascade involving G-proteins, phospholipase C, and ultimately depolarization of the visual photoreceptor cell. [13]

Others

Other opsins found in humans include encephalopsin (or panopsin, opsin-3), melanopsin (opsin-4), neuropsin (opsin-5) and peropsin. Melanopsin is involved in the light entrainment of the circadian clock in vertebrates. Encephalopsins and neuropsins are highly expressed in nerve cells and brain tissue, but so far their function is unknown. Peropsin binds all-trans retinal (microbial-type chromophore) and might function as a photoisomerase to return retinal to the 11-cis isomer form needed in visual perception. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodopsin</span> Light-sensitive receptor protein

Rhodopsin, also known as visual purple, is a protein encoded by the RHO gene and a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). It is the opsin of the rod cells in the retina and a light-sensitive receptor protein that triggers visual phototransduction in rods. Rhodopsin mediates dim light vision and thus is extremely sensitive to light. When rhodopsin is exposed to light, it immediately photobleaches. In humans, it is regenerated fully in about 30 minutes, after which the rods are more sensitive. Defects in the rhodopsin gene cause eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and congenital stationary night blindness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photoreceptor cell</span> Type of neuroepithelial cell

A photoreceptor cell is a specialized type of neuroepithelial cell found in the retina that is capable of visual phototransduction. The great biological importance of photoreceptors is that they convert light into signals that can stimulate biological processes. To be more specific, photoreceptor proteins in the cell absorb photons, triggering a change in the cell's membrane potential.

Bacteriorhodopsin (Bop) is a protein used by Archaea, most notably by haloarchaea, a class of the Euryarchaeota. It acts as a proton pump; that is, it captures light energy and uses it to move protons across the membrane out of the cell. The resulting proton gradient is subsequently converted into chemical energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod cell</span> Photoreceptor cells that can function in lower light better than cone cells

Rod cells are photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye that can function in lower light better than the other type of visual photoreceptor, cone cells. Rods are usually found concentrated at the outer edges of the retina and are used in peripheral vision. On average, there are approximately 92 million rod cells in the human retina. Rod cells are more sensitive than cone cells and are almost entirely responsible for night vision. However, rods have little role in color vision, which is the main reason why colors are much less apparent in dim light.

In visual physiology, adaptation is the ability of the retina of the eye to adjust to various levels of light. Natural night vision, or scotopic vision, is the ability to see under low-light conditions. In humans, rod cells are exclusively responsible for night vision as cone cells are only able to function at higher illumination levels. Night vision is of lower quality than day vision because it is limited in resolution and colors cannot be discerned; only shades of gray are seen. In order for humans to transition from day to night vision they must undergo a dark adaptation period of up to two hours in which each eye adjusts from a high to a low luminescence "setting", increasing sensitivity hugely, by many orders of magnitude. This adaptation period is different between rod and cone cells and results from the regeneration of photopigments to increase retinal sensitivity. Light adaptation, in contrast, works very quickly, within seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guanylate cyclase</span> Lyase enzyme that synthesizes cGMP from GTP

Guanylate cyclase is a lyase enzyme that converts guanosine triphosphate (GTP) to cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and pyrophosphate:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retinal</span> Chemical compound

Retinal is a polyene chromophore. Retinal, bound to proteins called opsins, is the chemical basis of visual phototransduction, the light-detection stage of visual perception (vision).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanopsin</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Melanopsin is a type of photopigment belonging to a larger family of light-sensitive retinal proteins called opsins and encoded by the gene Opn4. In the mammalian retina, there are two additional categories of opsins, both involved in the formation of visual images: rhodopsin and photopsin in the rod and cone photoreceptor cells, respectively.

Photopigments are unstable pigments that undergo a chemical change when they absorb light. The term is generally applied to the non-protein chromophore moiety of photosensitive chromoproteins, such as the pigments involved in photosynthesis and photoreception. In medical terminology, "photopigment" commonly refers to the photoreceptor proteins of the retina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opsin</span> Class of light-sensitive proteins

Animal opsins are G-protein-coupled receptors and a group of proteins made light-sensitive via a chromophore, typically retinal. When bound to retinal, opsins become Retinylidene proteins, but are usually still called opsins regardless. Most prominently, they are found in photoreceptor cells of the retina. Five classical groups of opsins are involved in vision, mediating the conversion of a photon of light into an electrochemical signal, the first step in the visual transduction cascade. Another opsin found in the mammalian retina, melanopsin, is involved in circadian rhythms and pupillary reflex but not in vision. Humans have in total nine opsins. Beside vision and light perception, opsins may also sense temperature, sound, or chemicals.

Visual phototransduction is the sensory transduction process of the visual system by which light is detected to yield nerve impulses in the rod cells and cone cells in the retina of the eye in humans and other vertebrates. It relies on the visual cycle, a sequence of biochemical reactions in which a molecule of retinal bound to opsin undergoes photoisomerization, initiates a cascade that signals detection of the photon, and is indirectly restored to its photosensitive isomer for reuse. Phototransduction in some invertebrates such as fruit flies relies on similar processes.

Photoreceptor proteins are light-sensitive proteins involved in the sensing and response to light in a variety of organisms. Some examples are rhodopsin in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebrate retina, phytochrome in plants, and bacteriorhodopsin and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria. They mediate light responses as varied as visual perception, phototropism and phototaxis, as well as responses to light-dark cycles such as circadian rhythm and other photoperiodisms including control of flowering times in plants and mating seasons in animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyespot apparatus</span>

The eyespot apparatus is a photoreceptive organelle found in the flagellate or (motile) cells of green algae and other unicellular photosynthetic organisms such as euglenids. It allows the cells to sense light direction and intensity and respond to it, prompting the organism to either swim towards the light, or away from it. A related response occurs when cells are briefly exposed to high light intensity, causing the cell to stop, briefly swim backwards, then change swimming direction. Eyespot-mediated light perception helps the cells in finding an environment with optimal light conditions for photosynthesis. Eyespots are the simplest and most common "eyes" found in nature, composed of photoreceptors and areas of bright orange-red red pigment granules. Signals relayed from the eyespot photoreceptors result in alteration of the beating pattern of the flagella, generating a phototactic response.

The visual cycle is a process in the retina that replenishes the molecule retinal for its use in vision. Retinal is the chromophore of most visual opsins, meaning it captures the photons to begin the phototransduction cascade. When the photon is absorbed, the 11-cis retinal photoisomerizes into all-trans retinal as it is ejected from the opsin protein. Each molecule of retinal must travel from the photoreceptor cell to the RPE and back in order to be refreshed and combined with another opsin. This closed enzymatic pathway of 11-cis retinal is sometimes called Wald's visual cycle after George Wald (1906–1997), who received the Nobel Prize in 1967 for his work towards its discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RRH</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Peropsin, a visual pigment-like receptor, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RRH gene. It belongs like other animal opsins to the G protein-coupled receptors. Even so, the first peropsins were already discovered in mice and humans in 1997, not much is known about them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retinal G protein coupled receptor</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

RPE-retinal G protein-coupled receptor also known as RGR-opsin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RGR gene. RGR-opsin is a member of the rhodopsin-like receptor subfamily of GPCR. Like other opsins which bind retinaldehyde, it contains a conserved lysine residue in the seventh transmembrane domain. RGR-opsin comes in different isoforms produced by alternative splicing.

G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 7 is a serine/threonine-specific protein kinase involved in phototransduction. This enzyme catalyses the phosphorylation of cone (color) photopsins in retinal cones during high acuity color vision primarily in the fovea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbial rhodopsin</span> Retinal-binding proteins

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 for retinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georg Nagel</span>

Georg Nagel is a biophysicist and professor at the Department for Neurophysiology at the University of Würzburg in Germany. His research is focused on microbial photoreceptors and the development of optogenetic tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vertebrate visual opsin</span>

Vertebrate visual opsins are a subclass of ciliary opsins and mediate vision in vertebrates. They include the opsins in human rod and cone cells. They are often abbreviated to opsin, as they were the first opsins discovered and are still the most widely studied opsins.

References

  1. 1 2 Spudich, John L.; Yang, Chii-Shen; Jung, Kwang-Hwan; Spudich, Elena N. (November 2000). "Retinylidene Proteins: Structures and Functions from Archaea to Humans". Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology. 16 (1): 365–392. doi:10.1146/annurev.cellbio.16.1.365. PMID   11031241.
  2. ↑ Mason, Peggy (26 May 2011). Medical Neurobiology. OUP USA. p. 375. ISBN   978-0-19-533997-0 . Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  3. ↑ Hara, Toshiaki J.; Zielinski, Barbara (17 October 2006). Fish Physiology: Sensory Systems Neuroscience: Sensory Systems Neuroscience. Academic Press. p. 183. ISBN   978-0-08-046961-4 . Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Tsukamoto, T.; Inoue, K.; Kandori, H.; Sudo, Y. (2013). "Thermal and Spectroscopic Characterization of a Proton Pumping Rhodopsin from an Extreme Thermophile". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 288 (30): 21581–21592. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M113.479394 . ISSN   0021-9258. PMC   3724618 . PMID   23740255.
  5. ↑ Sakmar T (2002). "Structure of rhodopsin and the superfamily of seven-helical receptors: the same and not the same". Curr Opin Cell Biol. 14 (2): 189–95. doi:10.1016/S0955-0674(02)00306-X. PMID   11891118.
  6. 1 2 Bryant DA, Frigaard NU (November 2006). "Prokaryotic photosynthesis and phototrophy illuminated". Trends in Microbiology. 14 (11): 488–496. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2006.09.001. PMID   16997562.
  7. ↑ Nagel G, Szellas T, Kateriya S, Adeishvili N, Hegemann P, Bamberg E (2005). "Channelrhodopsins: directly light-gated cation channels". Biochem Soc Trans. 33 (Pt 4): 863–6. doi:10.1042/BST0330863. PMID   16042615.
  8. ↑ Gao S, Nagpal J, Schneider MW, Kozjak-Pavlovic V, Nagel G, Gottschalk A (September 2015). "Optogenetic manipulation of cGMP in cells and animals by the tightly light-regulated guanylyl-cyclase opsin CyclOp". Nature Communications. 6 (8046): 8046. Bibcode:2015NatCo...6.8046G. doi:10.1038/ncomms9046. PMC   4569695 . PMID   26345128.
  9. ↑ Scheib U, Stehfest K, Gee CE, Körschen HG, Fudim R, Oertner TG, Hegemann P (August 2015). "The rhodopsin-guanylyl cyclase of the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii enables fast optical control of cGMP signaling". Science Signaling. 8 (389): rs8. doi:10.1126/scisignal.aab0611. PMID   26268609. S2CID   13140205.
  10. ↑ Scheib U, Broser M, Constantin OM, Yang S, Gao S, Mukherjee S, et al. (May 2018). "Rhodopsin-cyclases for photocontrol of cGMP/cAMP and 2.3 Å structure of the adenylyl cyclase domain". Nature Communications. 9 (1): 2046. Bibcode:2018NatCo...9.2046S. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-04428-w. PMC   5967339 . PMID   29799525.
  11. ↑ "Superfamily: Bacterial photosystem II reaction centre, L and M subunits". SCOP.
  12. ↑ G Protein-Coupled Receptor Data Base
  13. 1 2 3 Terakita A (2005). "The opsins". Genome Biol. 6 (3): 213. doi:10.1186/gb-2005-6-3-213. PMC   1088937 . PMID   15774036.
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