title: Insights into the activation mechanism of the visual receptor rhodopsin.
abstract: Recent advances in the structural biology of GPCRs (G-protein-coupled receptors) have provided insights into their structure and function. Comparisons of the visual and ligand-activated receptors highlight the unique elements of rhodopsin that allow it to function as a highly sensitive dim-light photoreceptor in vertebrates, as well as the common elements that it shares with the large class A GPCR family. However, despite progress, a number of questions remain unanswered about how these receptors are activated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Structural Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, USA. steven.o.smith@sunysb.edu
authors.forename: Steven O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017124:Conserved Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007536:Isomerism; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012172:Retinaldehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012394:Rosaniline Dyes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012394:Rosaniline Dyes; C476677:Schiff's reagent; D012243:Rhodopsin; D012172:Retinaldehyde