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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Two Peeling Methods for the Isolation of Photoreceptor Cell Compartments in the Mouse Retina for Protein Analysis
Published on: December 7, 2021
Exon-skipping variant of RGR opsin in human retina and pigment epithelium
Henry K W Fong1, Meng-Yin Lin, Sujay Pandey
1Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. hfong@usc.edu
Abstract:
An extraneous exon-skipping mRNA encodes an altered form of a light-absorbing opsin in human retina and pigment epithelium (RPE). The predicted protein variant differs from full-length RPE-retinal G protein-coupled receptor (RGR) by having an in-frame deletion of exon 6, which contains the entire sixth transmembrane domain. To verify that the exon 6-deleted RGR protein (RGR-d) exists in human retinas, we have produced RGR-d antibody probes. In Western blot assays, the RGR-d protein was detected in retinas of a large proportion ( approximately 53%) of individual donors, including patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The relative abundance of RGR-d varied significantly between individuals. The altered protein is expressed in RPE cells and has a more basal subcellular localization that is remarkably different from that of normal RGR opsin. The presence of this exon-skipping variant of RGR in humans may contribute to the progressive derangement of the RPE.
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