The absorbance spectrum and photosensitivity of a new synthetic "visual pigment" based on 4-hydroxyretinal.
The firefly squid, Watasenia scintillans, is the only animal known to possess a visual pigment in which the chromophore is 4-hydroxyretinal. This paper describes the absorbance spectrum and some properties of a synthetic "A4" visual pigment generated from bovine opsin and 4-hydroxyretinal. The absorbance spectrum of this pigment is compared with (a) bovine rhodopsin and (b) a rhodopsin template with the same lambda max as the synthetic visual pigment. The A4 pigment is shown to have an absorbance spectrum that is almost identical to that of a rhodopsin template. It is also shown that the photosensitivity and thermal stability of the A4 pigment, dispersed in detergent micelles, is essentially similar to that of rhodopsin.
Kito
Y
Y
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Japan.
Partridge
J C
JC
Seidou
M
M
Narita
K
K
Hamanaka
T
T
Michinomae
M
M
Sekiya
N
N
Yoshihara
K
K
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D049832:Decapodiformes; D004224:Diterpenes; D005136:Eye Proteins; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008027:Light; D012168:Retinal Pigments / Q000032:analysis* / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D012172:Retinaldehyde / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000032:analysis; D017299:Rod Opsins; D013053:Spectrophotometry
D004224:Diterpenes; D005136:Eye Proteins; D012168:Retinal Pigments; D017299:Rod Opsins; C057180:4-hydroxyretinal; D012243:Rhodopsin; D012172:Retinaldehyde