A visual opsin from jellyfish enables precise temporal control of G protein signalling

DOI PDF Web Site 1 Citations

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Phototransduction is mediated by distinct types of G protein cascades in different animal taxa: bilateral invertebrates typically utilise the Gαq pathway whereas vertebrates typically utilise the Gαt(i/o) pathway. By contrast, photoreceptors in jellyfish (Cnidaria) utilise the Gαs intracellular pathway, similar to olfactory transduction in mammals<jats:sup>1</jats:sup>. How this habitually slow pathway has adapted to support dynamic vision in jellyfish remains unknown. Here we study a light-sensing protein (rhodopsin) from the box jellyfish <jats:italic>Carybdea rastonii</jats:italic> and uncover a mechanism that dramatically speeds up phototransduction: an uninterrupted G protein-coupled receptor – G protein complex. Unlike known G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), this rhodopsin constitutively binds a single downstream Gαs partner to enable G-protein activation and inactivation within tens of milliseconds. We use this GPCR in a viral gene therapy to restore light responses in blind mice.</jats:p>

Journal

Citations (1)*help

See more

Report a problem

Back to top