Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unraveling Vitamin A Transport Mechanisms — Linking Liver Receptors to Vision Health Through RBPR2 and RBP4 Interactions
Published on: October 4, 2024
Bidirectional Phosphorylation Changes in Opsins Associated With Early Myopia and Hyperopia Signal Regulation by
Yang Yang1,2, Ying Hon Sze2,3, Houjiang Zhou4
1Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Purpose:
The study aimed to investigate the role of post-translational modifications (PTMs), specifically phosphorylation, in the pathogenesis of lens-induced myopia (LIM) and lens-induced hyperopia (LIH).
Methods:
This study used an untargeted phosphoproteomics approach to identify more than 12,000 phosphorylation sites in chick retinas. The changes in phosphorylation levels were quantified using the tandem mass tag (TMT) technique. Furthermore, targeted mass spectrometry was employed to characterize and validate the phosphorylation changes in visual opsins.
Results:
The analysis identified differential phosphorylation at specific sites: S334 in rhodopsin, S328 in violet-sensitive opsin, and S342 in blue-sensitive opsin. Notably, these serine residues were dephosphorylated during the onset of myopia, but they remained phosphorylated under hyperopic conditions. This finding indicates that phosphorylation patterns in opsins are significantly modulated by changes in optical conditions, potentially influencing retinal signaling pathways.
Conclusions:
The findings highlight the bidirectional modulation of phosphorylation in opsins as a potential mechanism linking optical factors from induced myopia and hyperopia to the molecular signaling processes that regulate ocular growth and adaptation.
Related Concept Videos
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
Protein Kinases and Phosphatases
Protein kinases
Many proteins in the cell are regulated by phosphorylation, the addition of a phosphate group. A family of enzymes called kinases...
Phosphorylation
During phosphorylation, protein kinases transfer the terminal phosphate group of ATP to specific amino acid side chains of substrate proteins. Serine, threonine, and tyrosine are the most commonly...
Phosphoinositides and PIPs
Different phosphoinositides are synthesized and recruited on the cytosolic face of the plasma membrane. The localization of specific phosphoinositides concentrated in separate membrane...
Channel Rhodopsins
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

