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Channel Rhodopsins

Channel Rhodopsins

Most organisms use photoreceptors to sense and respond to light. Examples of photoreceptors include bacteriorhodopsins and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria, phytochromes in plants, and rhodopsins in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebral retina. The light-sensitive property of these receptors is because of the bound chromophores, such as bilin in the phytochromes and retinal in the rhodopsins.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 31, 2026

A Rhodopsin Transport Assay by High-Content Imaging Analysis

A Rhodopsin Transport Assay by High-Content Imaging Analysis

Published on: January 16, 2019

The P23H Rhodopsin Mouse Model Reveals a Novel Interaction Between the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Connecting Cilium

Sergey S Novoselov¹, Bernardo S Mendes^1,2, Andrea Martello¹

¹University College of London Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom.

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

|March 30, 2026

Summary

The photoreceptor rootlet acts as a scaffold, organizing the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and its interactions with other organelles. This reveals a critical role for the rootlet in maintaining cellular structure and function in vision.

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Last Updated: Mar 31, 2026

A Rhodopsin Transport Assay by High-Content Imaging Analysis

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Published on: January 16, 2019

Two Peeling Methods for the Isolation of Photoreceptor Cell Compartments in the Mouse Retina for Protein Analysis

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Published on: December 7, 2021

Direct-Coupled Electroretinogram DC-ERG for Recording the Light-Evoked Electrical Responses of the Mouse Retinal Pigment Epithelium

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Published on: July 14, 2020

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Neuroscience
Ophthalmology

Background:

Photoreceptors are specialized sensory neurons with a unique structure, featuring a modified cilium called the outer segment.
The outer segment is anchored by a rootlet extending through the inner segment, but its precise function remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the function of the photoreceptor rootlet by characterizing its associated membranes.
To understand the structural organization within photoreceptor cells.

Main Methods:

Proteomic analysis of wild-type and P23H rhodopsin knock-in mouse retinas.
Transmission electron microscopy, electron tomography, immunofluorescence, and immunoelectron microscopy of mouse and human retinas.

Main Results:

In P23H mice, misfolded rhodopsin was associated with rootletin and mitochondrial proteins, indicating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) interactions with the rootlet.
The ER extensively interacts with and branches from the rootlet in mouse photoreceptors, contacting mitochondria, Golgi, and plasma membrane.
Human photoreceptors showed similar proximal rootlet:ER interactions, but distal interactions primarily involved mitochondria.

Conclusions:

The photoreceptor rootlet serves as a scaffold, organizing ER positioning and facilitating membrane contact sites.
This organization is crucial for intracellular architecture and potentially for photoreceptor function.