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A new subunit of the cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel in retinal rods

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Abstract

RETINAL rods respond to light with a membrane hyperpolarization produced by a G-protein-mediated signalling cascade that leads to cyclic GMP hydrolysis and the consequent closure of a cGMP-gated channel that is open in darkness1–7. A protein that forms this channel has recently been purified from bovine retina8 and molecularly cloned9, suggesting that the native cGMP-gated channel might be a homo-oligomer10. Here we report the cloning of another protein from human retina which has only about 30% overall identity to the rod channel subunit. This protein, immunocytochemically localized to rod outer segments, does not form functional channels by itself. However, when co-expressed with the cloned human rod channel protein11, it introduces rapid flickers to the channel openings that are characteristic of the native channel12–16. The hetero-oligomeric channel is also highly sensitive to the blocker L-cis-diltiazem, like the native channel15,17,18. This new protein thus seems to be another subunit of the native rod channel. The hetero-oligomeric nature of the rod channel means that it is no exception to a common motif shared by other ligand-gated channels.

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Author notes

  1. K.-W. Yau: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA

    B. Ahamed, R. R. Reed & K.-W. Yau

  2. Departments of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA

    T.-Y. Chen, Y.-W. Peng, R. R. Reed & K.-W. Yau

  3. Departments of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA

    R. S. Dhallan

  4. Departments of Molecular Biology and Genetics, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA

    R. R. Reed

Authors
  1. T.-Y. Chen
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  2. Y.-W. Peng
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  3. R. S. Dhallan
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  4. B. Ahamed
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  5. R. R. Reed
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  6. K.-W. Yau
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Chen, TY., Peng, YW., Dhallan, R. et al. A new subunit of the cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel in retinal rods. Nature 362, 764–767 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/362764a0

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