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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

A Rhodopsin Transport Assay by High-Content Imaging Analysis
Published on: January 16, 2019
The G protein-coupled receptor rhodopsin: a historical perspective
Lukas Hofmann1, Krzysztof Palczewski
1Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
Abstract:
Rhodopsin is a key light-sensitive protein expressed exclusively in rod photoreceptor cells of the retina. Failure to express this transmembrane protein causes a lack of rod outer segment formation and progressive retinal degeneration, including the loss of cone photoreceptor cells. Molecular studies of rhodopsin have paved the way to understanding a large family of cell-surface membrane proteins called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Work started on rhodopsin over 100 years ago still continues today with substantial progress made every year. These activities underscore the importance of rhodopsin as a prototypical GPCR and receptor required for visual perception-the fundamental process of translating light energy into a biochemical cascade of events culminating in vision.
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