Studies on the ultraviolet-spectral displacements of cattle rhodopsin

Spectral studies on the conformation of rhodopsin

A summary is given of visible and ultraviolet spectral studies which deal with the conformation of rhodopsin in situ and solubilized with detergent. Emphasis is placed on studies which give specific information about the macromolecular structure and which set quantitative limits on the magnitude of light-induced conformational changes.

Molecular aspects of photoreceptor function

The description of the molecular processes which underlie visual excitation is the fundamental problem in understanding vision at the level of a single photoreceptor. Thus far only a general outline of photoreceptor function has emerged with little known about actual biochemical and biophysical mechanisms.

Ultraviolet chromophore transitions in the rhodopsin spectrum

Difference spectra measured at -105 degrees show two decreases in the ultraviolet absorption spectrum of rhodopsin upon bleaching that cannot be attributed to changes in protein conformation. These absorbancy decreases in rhodopsin are consistent with a cis-trans isomerization of the chromophore.