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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Strategic Screening and Characterization of the Visual GPCR-mini-G Protein Signaling Complex for Successful Crystallization
Published on: March 16, 2020
G protein-coupled receptor rhodopsin: a prospectus
Sławomir Filipek1, Ronald E Stenkamp, David C Teller
1Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, 1 Pasteur St, PL-02093 Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract:
Rhodopsin is a retinal photoreceptor protein of bipartite structure consisting of the transmembrane protein opsin and a light-sensitive chromophore 11-cis-retinal, linked to opsin via a protonated Schiff base. Studies on rhodopsin have unveiled many structural and functional features that are common to a large and pharmacologically important group of proteins from the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, of which rhodopsin is the best-studied member. In this work, we focus on structural features of rhodopsin as revealed by many biochemical and structural investigations. In particular, the high-resolution structure of bovine rhodopsin provides a template for understanding how GPCRs work. We describe the sensitivity and complexity of rhodopsin that lead to its important role in vision.
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