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 proteincoupled 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.
CITATION STYLE
Hofmann, L., & Palczewski, K. (2015). The G protein-coupled receptor rhodopsin: A historical perspective. In Rhodopsin: Methods and Protocols (pp. 3–18). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2330-4_1
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