Abstract
Cyclic GMP has been implicated as a messenger molecule involved in visual transduction1. Photoexcited rhodopsin (R*) binds to a multisubunit membrane protein called transducin (T) and stimulates the exchange of a bound GDP molecule for GTP. This leads to the release of the α-subunit of T with bound GTP (Tα–GTP), which activates a cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase2–6. The question arises as to whether the hydrolysis of cyclic GMP that results from activation of the phosphodiesterase is sufficiently rapid to be involved in visual excitation, which occurs on a time scale of ∼2 s in the single-photon limit7. Previous studies have suggested that the cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase is activated in less than 100 ms at moderate light levels3,8,9. We report here light scattering studies of magnetically orientated frog rod outer segments which show that a molecule of R* catalyses the activation of a molecule of T in about 1 ms. Thus, hundreds of molecules can be activated within the response time of vision in the single-photon limit, and the formation of Tα–GTP is fast enough for it to be a key step in visual transduction.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Miller, W. H. & Nicol, G. D. Nature 280, 64–66 (1979).
Bitensky, M. W., Wheeler, G. L., Yamazaki, A., Rasenick, M. M. & Stein, P. J. Curr. Topics Membrane Transport 15, 237–271 (1981).
Liebman, P. A. & Pugh, E. N. Curr. Topics Membrane Transport 15, 157–170 (1981).
Fung, B. K.-K., Hurley, J. B. & Stryer, L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 152–156 (1981).
Stryer, L. Cold Spring Harb. Symp. quant. Biol. 48, 841–852 (1984).
Hurley, J. B. & Stryer, L. J. biol. Chem. 257, 11094–11099 (1982).
Baylor, D. A., Lamb, T. D. & Yau, K.-W. J. Physiol., Lond. 288, 589–611 (1979).
Kühn, H., Bennett, N., Michel-Villaz, M. & Chabre, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 6874–6877 (1981).
Bennett, N. Eur. J. Biochem. 123, 133–139 (1982).
Bignetti, E., Cavaggioni, A., Fasella, P., Ottonello, S. & Rossi, G. L. Molec. cell. Biochem. 30, 93–99 (1980).
Harary, H. H., Brown, J. E. & Pinto, L. H. Science 202, 1083–1085 (1978).
Hofmann, K. P. & Emeis, E. Biophys. Struct. Mech. 8, 23–34 (1981).
Hofmann, K. P., Schleicher, A., Emeis, D. & Reichert, J. Biophys. Struct. Mech. 8, 67–93 (1981).
Hofmann, K. P., Uhl, R., Hofmann, W. & Kreutz, W. Biophys. Struct. Mech. 2, 61–77 (1976).
Reichert, J. & Hofmann, K. P. Biophys. Struct. Mech. 8, 95–105 (1981).
Uhl, R., Hofmann, K. P. & Kreutz, W. Biochim. biophys. Acta 469, 113–122 (1977).
Chabre, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 5471–5474 (1978).
Worcester, D. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 5475–5477 (1978).
Saibil, H., Chabre, M. & Worcester, D. Nature 262, 266–270 (1976).
Yeager, M., Schoenborn, B., Engelman, D., Moore, P. & Stryer, L. J. molec. Biol. 137, 315–348 (1980).
Kühn, H. Nature 283, 587–589 (1980).
Bennett, N., Michel-Villaz, M. & Kühn, H. Eur. J. Biochem. 127, 97–103 (1982).
Emeis, D., Kühn, H., Reichert, J. & Hofmann, K. P. FEBS Lett. 143, 29–34 (1982).
Vuong, T. M. thesis, Stanford Univ. (1984).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vuong, T., Chabre, M. & Stryer, L. Millisecond activation of transducin in the cyclic nucleotide cascade of vision. Nature 311, 659–661 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/311659a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/311659a0
This article is cited by
-
A Vaccinia-based system for directed evolution of GPCRs in mammalian cells
Nature Communications (2023)
-
Generalised Biological Function
Acta Biotheoretica (2005)
-
X-ray crystal structure of arrestin from bovine rod outer segments
Nature (1998)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.