The structure of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in rod and cone photoreceptors

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels play a central role in rod and cone photoreceptors of the vertebrate retina. In photoreceptors, light triggers a series of biochemical reactions that ultimately close CNG channels and evoke a brief voltage pulse, a signal that is later passed on to the brain. Malfunction of CNG channels can lead to loss of vision. Thus, understanding their function in atomic and mechanistic detail is important. Because of the complex subunit stoichiometry of these channels, elucidation of their structure has proved challenging. Recently, several cryoelectron microscopy (EM) structures of rod and cone CNG channels revealed unexpected structural features. We compare these structures side by side and highlight similarities and differences in key structural elements. We discuss the implications of the channels' structure for questions about their gating, ion permeation, and modulation. These results inform new strategies to further characterize the structural basis of CNG channels functioning in rods and cones.