Light‐sensitive coupling of rhodopsin and melanopsin to Gi/oand Gqsignal transduction inCaenorhabditis elegans

• DOI: 10.1096/fj.11-197798
• Publication Date: 2011-11-17T12:39:19Z
• Authors: Pengxiu Cao; Wenyu Sun; Kristopher Kramp; Maohua Zheng; David Salom; Beata Jastrzebska; Hui Jin; Krzysztof Palczewski; Zhaoyang Feng
• Keywords: Gq alpha subunit; Melanopsin; Opsin

Activation of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) initiates signal transduction cascades that affect many physiological responses. The worm Caenorhabditis elegans expresses >1000 these along with their cognate heterotrimeric G proteins. Here, we report properties 9-cis-retinal regenerated bovine opsin [(b)isoRho] and human melanopsin [(h)Mo], two light-activated, heterologously expressed GPCRs in the nervous system C. various genetically engineered alterations. Profound transient photoactivation Gi/o signaling by (b)isoRho led to a sudden loss motility dependent on cyclic adenosine monophosphate, whereas Gq (h)Mo enhanced locomotion phospholipase Cβ. These transgenic models provide unique way study consequences vivo temporal spatial precision and, analogy, relationship neuromotor function.—Cao, P., Sun, W., Kramp, K., Zheng, M., Salom, D., Jastrzebska, B., Jin, H., Palczewski, Feng, Z. Light-sensitive coupling rhodopsin elegans. FASEB J. 26, 480–491 (2012). www.fasebj.org