title: Structural studies of metarhodopsin II, the activated form of the G-protein coupled receptor, rhodopsin.
abstract: The structural changes that accompany activation of a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) are not well understood. To better understand the activation of rhodopsin, the GPCR responsible for visual transduction, we report studies on the three-dimensional structure for the activated state of this receptor, metarhodopsin II. Differences between the three-dimensional structure of ground state rhodopsin and metarhodopsin II, particularly in the cytoplasmic face of the receptor, suggest how the receptor is activated to couple with transducin. In particular, activation opens a groove on the surface of the receptor that could bind the N-terminal helix of the G protein, transducin alpha.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landin
authors.forename: Jhenny Flor
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Galan
authors.forename: Robert R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Birge
authors.forename: Arlene D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: Philip L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Yeagle
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013816:Thermodynamics; D015293:Transducin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C013110:metarhodopsins; D012243:Rhodopsin; D015293:Transducin