Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Precise Visualization of Insulin Receptors A and B in Murine Brain with an RNA In Situ Hybridization Assay
Published on: July 15, 2025
Insulin receptor regulates photoreceptor CNG channel activity
Vivek K Gupta1, Ammaji Rajala, Raju V S Rajala
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Abstract:
Photoreceptor cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) channels are critical elements in phototransduction and light adaptation. Here we report that insulin receptor (IR), an integral membrane protein, directly phosphorylates the CNGA1 subunit of CNG channels that in turn affects the function of these channels negatively. The IR phosphorylates Tyr(498) and Tyr(503) residues on CNGA1 that are situated at the membrane-cytoplasmic interface. The IR tyrosine kinase activity is essential for the inhibition of CNG channel. To maintain the channels in an off state, it is necessary not only to have a precise balance of the cGMP levels but also to have a control on the cGMP sensitivity of the CNG channels itself. In this study, we observed that the channel opens at a lower concentration of cGMP in IR(-/-) mice. These studies suggest that IR regulates the modulation of CNG channel activity in vivo.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Insulin: The Receptor and Signaling Pathways
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
Channel Rhodopsins
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
Sensory organs,...
Insulin Secretory Vesicles
The Retina

