title: Purification and physiological evaluation of a guanylate cyclase activating protein from retinal rods.
abstract: In retinal rods light triggers a cascade of enzymatic reactions that increases cGMP hydrolysis and generates an electrical signal by causing closure of cGMP-gated ion channels in the photoreceptor outer segment. This leads to a decrease in internal Ca, which activates guanylate cyclase and promotes photoresponse recovery by stimulating the resynthesis of cGMP. We report here that the activation of guanylate cyclase by low Ca is mediated by an approximately 20-kDa protein purified from bovine rod outer segments by using DEAE-Sepharose, hydroxylapatite, and reverse-phase chromatographies. In a reconstituted system, this protein restores the Ca-sensitive regulation of guanylate cyclase and when dialyzed into functionally intact lizard rod outer segment decreases the sensitivity, time to peak, and recovery time of the flash response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Gorczyca
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Gray-Keller
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Detwiler
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Palczewski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002417:Cattle; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000378:metabolism*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D012374:Rod Cell Outer Segment / Q000201:enzymology*; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005136:Eye Proteins; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; D002118:Calcium