Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein)–coupled receptors (GPCRs)
respond to a variety of different external stimuli and activate G proteins. GPCRs share many …

A new high-resolution structure is reported for bovine rhodopsin, the visual pigment in rod
photoreceptor cells. Substantial improvement of the resolution limit to 2.2Å has been …

The parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system regulates the activity of multiple
organ systems. Muscarinic receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors that mediate the …

Activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is triggered and regulated by structural
rearrangement of the transmembrane heptahelical bundle containing a number of highly …

Membrane proteins, encoded by∼ 20% of genes in almost all organisms, including humans,
are critical for cellular communication, electrical and ion balances, structural integrity of the …

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are involved in a vast variety of cellular signal
transduction processes from visual, taste and odor perceptions to sensing the levels of many …

Photochemical cis–trans isomerization of the retinylidene chromophore is the mechanism of
the primary visual process in the eye. 11-cis-Retinal is covalently linked not only to the dim-…

Photoactivation of the visual rhodopsin, a prototypical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR),
involves efficient conversion of the intrinsic inverse-agonist 11-cis-retinal to the all-trans …

Rhodopsin, a prototypic G protein-coupled receptor responsible for absorption of photons in
retinal rod photoreceptor cells, was selectively extracted from bovine rod outer segment …

When the two-dimensional crystal of bacteriorhodopsin (bR), purple membrane, is incubated
at high temperature (32C) with a small amount of the neutral detergent octylthioglucoside in …