Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein is the physiologically relevant carrier that removes retinol from rod photoreceptor outer segments

Light detection by vertebrate rod photoreceptor outer segments results in the destruction of the visual pigment, rhodopsin, as its retinyl moiety is photoisomerized from 11-cis to all-trans. The regeneration of rhodopsin is necessary for vision and begins with the release of the all-trans retinal and its reduction to all-trans retinol. Retinol is then transported out of the rod outer segment for further processing. We used fluorescence imaging to monitor retinol fluorescence and quantify the kinetics of its formation and clearance after rhodopsin bleaching in the outer segments of living isolated frog (Rana pipiens) rod photoreceptors. We independently measured the release of all-trans retinal from bleached rhodopsin in frog rod outer segment membranes and the rate of all-trans retinol removal by the lipophilic carriers interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP) and serum albumin. We find that the kinetics of all-trans retinol formation in frog rod outer segments after rhodopsin bleaching are to a good first approximation determined by the kinetics of all-trans retinal release from the bleached pigment. For the physiological concentrations of carriers, the rate of retinol removal from the outer segment is determined by IRBP concentration, whereas the effect of serum albumin is negligible. The results indicate the presence of a specific interaction between IRBP and the rod outer segment, probably mediated by a receptor. The effect of different concentrations of IRBP on the rate of retinol removal shows no cooperativity and has an EC50 of 40 micromol/L.     

All-trans retinol in rod photoreceptor outer segments moves unrestrictedly by passive diffusion

The visual pigment protein of vertebrate rod photoreceptors, rhodopsin, contains an 11-cis retinyl moiety that is isomerized to all-trans upon light absorption. Subsequently, all-trans retinal is released from the protein and reduced to all-trans retinol, the first step in the recycling of rhodopsin's chromophore group through the series of reactions that constitute the visual cycle. The concentration of all-trans retinol in photoreceptor outer segments can be monitored from its fluorescence. We have used two-photon excitation (720 nm) of retinol fluorescence and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to characterize the mobility of all-trans retinol in frog photoreceptor outer segments. Retinol produced after rhodopsin bleaching moved laterally in the disk membrane bilayer with an apparent diffusion coefficient of 2.5 +/- 0.3 micro m(2) s(-1). The diffusion coefficient of exogenously added retinol was 3.2 +/- 0.5 micro m(2) s(-1). These diffusion coefficients are in close agreement with those reported for lipids, suggesting that retinol is not tightly bound to protein sites that would be diffusing much more slowly in the plane of the membrane. In agreement with this interpretation, a fluorescent-labeled C-16 fatty acid diffused laterally with a similar diffusion coefficient, 2.2 +/- 0.2 micro m(2) s(-1). Retinol also moved along the length of the rod outer segment, with an apparent diffusion coefficient of 0.07 +/- 0.01 micro m(2) s(-1), again suggesting that it is not tightly bound to proteins that would confine it to the disks. The axial diffusion coefficient of exogenously added retinol was 0.05 +/- 0.01 micro m(2) s(-1). In agreement with passive diffusion, the rate of axial movement was inversely proportional to the square of the length of the rod outer segment. Diffusion of retinol on the plasma membrane of the outer segment can readily account for the measured value of the axial diffusion coefficient, as the plasma membrane comprises approximately 1% of the total outer-segment membrane. The values of both the lateral and axial diffusion coefficients are consistent with most of the all-trans retinol in the outer segments moving unrestricted and not being bound to carrier proteins. Therefore, and in contrast to other steps of the visual cycle, there does not appear to be any specialized processing for all-trans retinol within the rod outer segment.     

Metabolic constraints on the recovery of sensitivity after visual pigment bleaching in retinal rods

The shutoff of active intermediates in the phototransduction cascade and the reconstitution of the visual pigment play key roles in the recovery of sensitivity after the exposure to bright light in both rod and cone photoreceptors. Physiological evidence from bleached salamander rods suggests this recovery of sensitivity occurs faster at the outer segment base compared with the tip. Microfluorometric measurements of similarly bleached salamander rods demonstrate that the reduction of all-trans retinal to all-trans retinol also occurs more rapidly at the outer segment base than at the tip. The experiments reported here were designed to test the hypothesis that these two phenomena are linked, e.g., that slowed recovery of sensitivity at the tip of outer segments is rate limited by the reduction of all-trans retinal and results from a shortage of cytosolic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), the reducing agent for all-trans retinal reduction. Extracellular measurements of membrane current and sensitivity were made from isolated salamander rods under dark-adapted and bleached conditions while intracellular NADPH concentration was varied by dialysis from a micropipette attached to the inner segment. Sensitivity at the base and tip of the outer segment was assessed before and after bleaching. After exposure to a light that photoactivates 50% of the visual pigment, rods were completely insensitive for nearly 10 minutes, after which the base recovered sensitivity and responsiveness with a time constant of ∼200 seconds, but tip sensitivity recovered more slowly with a time constant of ∼680 seconds. Dialysis of 5 mM NADPH into the rod promoted an earlier recovery and eliminated the previously observed tip/base difference. Dialysis of 1.66 mM NADPH failed to eliminate the tip/base recovery difference, suggesting the steady-state NADPH concentration in rods is ∼1 mM. These results indicate the inner segment is the primary source of reducing equivalents after pigment bleaching, with the reduction of all-trans retinal to all-trans retinol playing a key step in the recovery of sensitivity.     

Physiological and microfluorometric studies of reduction and clearance of retinal in bleached rod photoreceptors

The visual cycle comprises a sequence of reactions that regenerate the visual pigment in photoreceptors during dark adaptation, starting with the reduction of all-trans retinal to all-trans retinol and its clearance from photoreceptors. We have followed the reduction of retinal and clearance of retinol within bleached outer segments of red rods isolated from salamander retina by measuring its intrinsic fluorescence. Following exposure to a bright light (bleach), increasing fluorescence intensity was observed to propagate along the outer segments in a direction from the proximal region adjacent to the inner segment toward the distal tip. Peak retinol fluorescence was achieved after approximately 30 min, after which it declined very slowly. Clearance of retinol fluorescence is considerably accelerated by the presence of the exogenous lipophilic substances IRBP (interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein) and serum albumin. We have used simultaneous fluorometric and electrophysiological measurements to compare the rate of reduction of all-trans retinal to all-trans retinol to the rate of recovery of flash response amplitude in these cells in the presence and absence of IRBP. We find that flash response recovery in rods is modestly accelerated in the presence of extracellular IRBP. These results suggest such substances may participate in the clearance of retinoids from rod photoreceptors, and that this clearance, at least in rods, may facilitate dark adaptation by accelerating the clearance of photoproducts of bleaching.     

Visual cycle: Dependence of retinol production and removal on photoproduct decay and cell morphology

The visual cycle is a chain of biochemical reactions that regenerate visual pigment following exposure to light. Initial steps, the liberation of all-trans retinal and its reduction to all-trans retinol by retinol dehydrogenase (RDH), take place in photoreceptors. We performed comparative microspectrophotometric and microfluorometric measurements on a variety of rod and cone photoreceptors isolated from salamander retinae to correlate the rates of photoproduct decay and retinol production. Metapigment decay rate was spatially uniform within outer segments and 50-70 times faster in the cells that contained cone-type pigment (SWS2 and M/LWS) compared to cells with rod-type pigment (RH1). Retinol production rate was strongly position dependent, fastest at the base of outer segments. Retinol production rate was 10-40 times faster in cones with cone pigments (SWS2 and M/LWS) than in the basal OS of rods containing rod pigment (RH1). Production rate was approximately five times faster in rods containing cone pigment (SWS2) than the rate in basal OS of rods containing the rod pigment (RH1). We show that retinol production is defined either by metapigment decay rate or RDH reaction rate, depending on cell type or outer segment region, whereas retinol removal is defined by the surface-to-volume ratio of the outer segment and the availability of retinoid binding protein (IRBP). The more rapid rates of retinol production in cones compared to rods are consistent with the more rapid operation of the visual cycle in these cells.     

Bovine rod rhodopsin. 1. Bleaching by luminescence in vitro by recombination of radicals from polyunsaturated fatty acids

Rod outer segments of photoreceptors are characterized by rhodopsin, a membrane protein surrounded by phospholipids containing a very high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids can propagate free radicals, initiated by peroxidation, whose recombination is eventually associated with light emission as chemiluminescence. The results reported here indicate that this effect produces an isomerization of the retinal (bleaching effect) of the rhodopsin, similar to that induced by light in normal vision. In vitro experiments on detergent-suspended rod outer segments (RdOS) from bovine eyes, using an enzymatic source of radicals, xanthine/xanthine oxidase, were carried out. The results indicate that the proposed mechanism is likely, because they can show the bleaching of rhodopsin in RdOS, owing to its extraordinary sensitivity. Thus this mechanism is, also, a possible explanation for anomalous visual effects such as light flashes (phosphene-like) perceived by humans. The functionality of the rhodopsin in the RdOS was first tested by visible light. Rhodopsin reactivation after bleaching was obtained by adding cis-retinal to the suspension, demonstrating the reversibility of the bleaching process. A special experimental system was developed to observe the bleaching from luminescence by radical recombination, avoiding physical contact between the rod outer segment suspension and the radicals to prevent radical-induced damage and modifications of the delicate structure of the rod outer segment.     

The isolation of stable cattle rod outer segments with an intact plasma membrane.

A procedure is described to purify and stabilize cattle rod outer segments with an intact plasma membrane. Three criteria are applied to assess the integrity of the latter. Upon photolysis in these rod outer segments: (1) exogenous ATP cannot phosphorylate rhodopsin located in the disk membrane. (2) Endogenous cofactors (NADPH, NADPH-regenerating system) are still available in the rod cytosol and consequently retinol is the final photoproduct of photolysis of rhodopsin. (3) The rod cytosol can maintain a pH different from that of the medium, since the later stages of rhodopsin photolysis are independent of the medium pH. The stability and homogeneity of the preparation appear to be much better than those of freshly isolated frog rod outer segments, which have been used most frequently so far for experiments on the physiology of rod outer segments. In addition, these cattle rod outer segments remain intact during various manipulations and therefore considerably extend the experimental possibilities when intact rod outer segments are required.     

The isolation of stable cattle rod outer segments with an intact plasma membrane

A procedure is described to purify and stabilize cattle rod outer segments with an intact plasma membrane. Three criteria are applied to assess the integrity of the latter.Upon photolysis in these rod outer segments: (1) exogenous ATP cannot phosphorylate rhodopsin located in the disk membrane. (2) Endogenous cofactors (NADPH, NADPH-regenerating system) are still available in the rod cytosol and consequently retinol is the final photoproduct of photolysis of rhodopsin. (3) The rod cytosol can maintain a pH different from that of the medium, since the later stages of rhodopsin photolysis are independent of the medium pH.The stability and homogeneity of the preparation appear to be much better than those of freshly isolated frog rod outer segments, which have been used most frequently so far for experiments on the physiology of rod outer segments. In addition, these cattle rod outer segments remain intact during various manipulations and therefore considerably extend the experimental possibilities when intact rod outer segments are required.     

The role of retinal photoisomerase in the visual cycle of the honeybee

The compound eye of the honeybee has previously been shown to contain a soluble retinal photoisomerase which, in vitro, is able to catalyze stereospecifically the photoconversion of all-trans retinal to 11-cis retinal. In this study we combine in vivo and in vitro techniques to demonstrate how the retinal photoisomerase is involved in the visual cycle, creating 11-cis retinal for the generation of visual pigment. Honeybees have approximately 2.5 pmol/eye of retinal associated with visual pigments, but larger amounts (4-12 pmol/eye) of both retinal and retinol bound to soluble proteins. When bees are dark adapted for 24 h or longer, greater than 80% of the endogenous retinal, mostly in the all-trans configuration, is associated with the retinal photoisomerase. On exposure to blue light the retinal is isomerized to 11-cis, which makes it available to an alcohol dehydrogenase. Most of it is then reduced to 11-cis retinol. The retinol is not esterified and remains associated with a soluble protein, serving as a reservoir of 11-cis retinoid available for renewal of visual pigment. Alternatively, 11-cis retinal can be transferred directly to opsin to regenerate rhodopsin, as shown by synthesis of rhodopsin in bleached frog rod outer segments. This retinaldehyde cycle from the honeybee is the third to be described. It appears very similar to the system in another group of arthropods, flies, and differs from the isomerization processes in vertebrates and cephalopod mollusks.     

Purification of retinol dehydrogenase from bovine retinal rod outer segments

We purified retinol dehydrogenase from bovine rod outer segments using polyethylene glycol precipitation and hydroxylapatite, concanavalin A-Sepharose CL-4B, and Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography in the presence of NADP. We obtained 13-fold purification of retinol dehydrogenase with specific activity of 61.8 nmol/min/mg and 3.8% recovery. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that retinol dehydrogenase had a molecular mass of 37,000 daltons. The Km values of purified retinol dehydrogenase for all-trans retinol and all-trans retinal were 6.6 mM and 0.085 mM, respectively. The purified enzyme reacted with the all-trans retinal but not with 13-, 11-, and 9-cis compounds. In addition, we prepared antibody to retinol dehydrogenase using rat. The anti-retinol dehydrogenase antibody precipitated retinol dehydrogenase activity and was confirmed to bind to 37-kDa protein by Western blotting. We also found that anti-retinol dehydrogenase antibody bound to bovine rod outer segments specifically by immunohistochemical technique. The molar ratio of retinol dehydrogenase to opsin in rod outer segments estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was 1:140.     

The effect of α tocopherol,all-trans retinol and retinyl palmitate on the non enzymatic lipid peroxidation of rod outer segments

The effect of tocopherol, all-trans retinol and retinyl palmitate on the non enzymatic lipid peroxidation induced by ascorbate-Fe²⁺ of rod outer segment membranes isolated from bovine retina was examined. The inhibition of light emission (maximal induced chemiluminescence) by tocopherol, all-trans retinol and retinyl palmitate was concentration dependent. All trans retinol showed a substantial degree of inhibition against ascorbate-Fe²⁺ induced lipid peroxidation in rod outer segment membranes that was 10 times higher than the observed in the presence of either tocopherol or retinyl palmitate. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation of rod outer segment membranes by tocopherol and retinyl palmitate was almost linear for up to 0,5 mol vitamin/mg membrane protein, whereas all-trans retinol showed linearity up to 0,1 mol vitamin/mg membrane protein. Incubation of rod outer segments with increasing amounts of low molecular weight cytosolic proteins carrying 1-[¹⁴C] linoleic acid, [³H] retinyl palmitate or [³H] all-trans retinol during the lipid peroxidation process produced a net transfer of ligand from soluble protein to membranes. Linoleic acid was 4 times more effectively transferred to rod outer segment membranes than all-trans retinol or retinyl palmitate. Incubation of rod outer segments with delipidated low molecular weight cytosolic proteins produced inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The inhibitory effect was increased when the soluble retinal protein fraction containing a tocopherol was used. These data provide strong support for the role of all-trans retinol as the major retinal antioxidant and open the way for many fruitful studies on the interaction and precise roles of low molecular weight cytosolic retinal proteins involved in the binding of antioxidant hydrophobic compounds with rod outer segments.     

Utilization of retinoids in the bullfrog retina

The capacity to generate 11-cis retinal from retinoids arising naturally in the eye was examined in the retina of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. Retinoids, co-suspended with phosphatidylcholine, were applied topically to the photoreceptor surface of the isolated retina after substantial bleaching of the native visual pigment. The increase in photoreceptor sensitivity associated with the formation of rhodopsin, used as an assay for the appearance of 11-cis retinal in the receptors, was analyzed by extracellular measurement of the photoreceptor potential; in separate experiments using the isolated retina or receptor outer segment preparations, the formation of rhodopsin was measured spectrophotometrically. Treatments with the 11- cis isomers of retinal and retinol induced significant increases in both the rhodopsin content and photic sensitivity of previously bleached receptors. The all-trans isomers of retinyl palmitate, retinol, and retinal, as well as the 11-cis isomer of retinyl palmitate, were inactive by both the electrophysiological and spectrophotometric criteria for the generation of rhodopsin. Treatment with any one of the "inactive" retinoids did not abolish the capacity of subsequently applied 11-cis retinal or 11-cis retinol to promote the formation of rhodopsin. The data are discussed in relation to the interconversions of retinoids ("visual cycle of vitamin A") thought to mediate the regeneration of rhodopsin in vivo after extensive bleaching.     

Control of the cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase of frog photoreceptor membranes

The light-activated cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) of frog photoreceptor membranes has been assayed in isolated outer segments suspended in a low-calcium Ringer's solution. Activation occurs over a range of light intensity that also causes a decrease in the permeability, cyclic GMP levels, and GTP levels of isolated outer segments. At intermediate intensities, PDE activity assumes constant intermediate values determined by the rate of rhodopsin bleaching. Washing causes an increase in maximal enzyme activity. Increasing light intensity from darkness to a level bleaching 5 x 10(3) rhodopsin molecules per outer segment per second shifts the apparent Michaelis constant (Km) from 100 to 900 microM. Maximum enzyme velocity increases at least 10-fold. The component that normally regulates this light- induced increase in the Km of PDE is removed by the customary sucrose flotation procedures. The presence of 10(-3) M Ca++ increases the light sensitivity of PDE, and maximal activation is caused by illumination bleaching only 5 x 10(2) rhodopsin molecules per outer segment per second. Calcium acts by increasing enzyme velocity while having little influence on Km. The effect of calcium appears to require a labile component, sensitive to aging of the outer segment preparation. The decrease in the light sensitivity of PDE that can be observed upon lowering the calcium concentration may be related to the desensitization of the permeability change mechanism that occurs during light adaptation of rod photoreceptors.     

Rhodopsin, 11-cis vitamin A, and interstitial retinol-binding protein (IRBP) during retinal development in normal and rd mutant mice

Biochemical and immunological techniques were used to determine the emergence of interstitial retinol binding protein (IRBP), rhodopsin, and stored retinyl esters (all-trans and 11-cis) during retinal development in normal and rd mice. IRBP could be demonstrated at embryonic Day 17 (E17), corresponding to an early stage of inner segment development. Although all-trans retinyl esters were present earlier, 11-cis retinyl esters did not appear until postnatal Days 6-7 (P6-P7), corresponding to rod outer segment (ROS) disc formation. Rhodopsin was detected at the same developmental stage. The proportion of 11-cis retinyl esters reached a maximum of 40-50% at P15-P20. Thereafter, the proportion dropped, due to more rapid accumulation of the all-trans isomer. Rhodopsin and IRBP increased in parallel with ROS elongation up to P25, when the ROS had reached their mature lengths. The increases then continued up to P40-P50. In rd (retinal degeneration) mice, IRBP and rhodopsin were identical with the controls until P12, but then dropped as the photoreceptors degenerated. Synthesis and secretion of IRBP in vitro was less than 10% of the controls in rd retinas at P26, when only 4-5% of the photoreceptors survived. The quantities of retinyl esters (mainly stearate and palmitate in the ratio of 6:1, respectively) stored in dark-adapted mouse eyes progressively increased as the animals aged, representing 0.5 mole eq. of the rhodopsin at 8 months. Although retinyl esters (11-cis and all-trans) also accumulated in rd mouse eyes up to P12, little further increase occurred. At P93, the retinyl esters (0.01 nmole X eye-1) were only 4% of the controls at P91. A peak in the proportion of 11-cis isomer occurred at P10-P20, but it averaged only 15% of the total ester and declined to 5% at P93. These findings support the hypothesis that IRBP is synthesized by the rods and cones, and suggest that its synthesis and secretion are initiated when the photoreceptor inner segments start to differentiate. 11-cis Retinoids and rhodopsin do not appear until the outer segments start to form. It is suggested that in the rd mouse the absence of photoreceptors, perhaps coupled with lack of normal interphotoreceptor matrix, leads to a loss in the ability of the pigment epithelium to store retinyl esters.     

Interaction between photoexcited rhodopsin and peripheral enzymes in frog retinal rods. Influence on the postmetarhodopsin II decay and phosphorylation rate of rhodopsin

The major peripheral and soluble proteins in frog rod outer segment preparations, and their interactions with photoexcited rhodopsin, have been compared to those in cattle rod outer segments and found to be similar in both systems. In particular the GTP-binding protein (G) has the same subunit composition, the same abundance relative to rhodopsin (1/10) and it undergoes the same light and nucleotide-dependent interactions with rhodopsin in both preparations. Previous work on cattle rod outer segments has shown that photoexcited rhodopsin (R*), in a state identified with metarhodopsin II, associates with the G protein as a first step to the light-activated GDP/GTP exchange on G. The complex R*-G is stable in absence of GTP, but is rapidly dissociated by GTP owing to the GDP/GTP exchange reaction. Low bleaching extents (less than 10% R*) in absence of GTP therefore create predominantly R*-G complexes, whereas bleaching in presence of GTP creates free R*. We report here that, under conditions of complexed R*, two reactions of R* in frog rod outer segments are highly perturbed as compared to free R*: (a) the spectral decay of metarhodopsin II (MII) into later photoproducts, and (b) the phosphorylation of R* by an ATP-dependent protein kinase. a) The spectral measurements have been performed using linear dichroism on oriented frog rod outer segments; this technique allows discrimination between MII and later photoproducts absorbing at the same wavelength. Association of R* with G leads to a strong reduction of the amount of MIII formed and to an acceleration of the decay of MIII. Furthermore, MII is significantly stabilized, in agreement with the hypothesis that MII is the intermediate which binds to G. b) The phosphorylation of R* is strongly inhibited under conditions of R*-G complex formation as compared to free R*. Interferences between reactions at the three sites involved in R* are discussed: the retinal binding site in the hydrophobic core is sensitive to the presence of GTP-binding protein at its binding site on the cytoplasmic surface of R*; the kinase and the GTP-binding protein compete for access to their respective binding sites, both located on the surface of R*. We also observed a slow and nucleotide-dependent light-induced binding of a protein of molecular weight 50 000, which we consider as the equivalent of the 48 000 Mr light-dependent protein previously identified in cattle rod outer segments.     

Amplitude, kinetics, and reversibility of a light-induced decrease in guanosine 3'',5''-cyclic monophosphate in frog photoreceptor membranes

The concentration of guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic GMP) has been examined in suspensions of freshly isolated frog rod outer segments using conditions which previously have been shown to maintain the ability of outer segments to perform a light-induced permeability change (presence of calf serum, anti-oxidant, and low calcium concentration). Illumination causes a rapid decrease in cyclic GMP levels which has a half-time approximately 125 ms. With light exposures that bleach less than 100 rhodopsin molecules in each rod outer segment, at least 10(4)-10(5) molecules of cyclic GMP are hydrolyzed for each rhodopsin molecule bleached. Half of the total cyclic GMP in each outer segment, approximately 2 X 10(7) molecules, is contained in the light-sensitive pool. If outer segments are exposed to continuous illumination, using intensities which bleach between 5.0 X 10(1) and 5.0 X 10(4) rhodopsin molecules/outer segment per second, cyclic GMP levels fall to a value characteristic for the intensity used. This suggests that a balance between synthesis and degradation of cyclic GMP is established. This constant level appears to be regulated by the rate of bleaching rhodopsin molecules (by the intensity of illumination), not the absolute number of rhodopsin molecules bleached...     

Functional significance of the taper of vertebrate cone photoreceptors

Vertebrate photoreceptors are commonly distinguished based on the shape of their outer segments: those of cones taper, whereas the ones from rods do not. The functional advantages of cone taper, a common occurrence in vertebrate retinas, remain elusive. In this study, we investigate this topic using theoretical analyses aimed at revealing structure-function relationships in photoreceptors. Geometrical optics combined with spectrophotometric and morphological data are used to support the analyses and to test predictions. Three functions are considered for correlations between taper and functionality. The first function proposes that outer segment taper serves to compensate for self-screening of the visual pigment contained within. The second function links outer segment taper to compensation for a signal-to-noise ratio decline along the longitudinal dimension. Both functions are supported by the data: real cones taper more than required for these compensatory roles. The third function relates outer segment taper to the optical properties of the inner compartment whereby the primary determinant is the inner segment's ability to concentrate light via its ellipsoid. In support of this idea, the rod/cone ratios of primarily diurnal animals are predicted based on a principle of equal light flux gathering between photoreceptors. In addition, ellipsoid concentration factor, a measure of ellipsoid ability to concentrate light onto the outer segment, correlates positively with outer segment taper expressed as a ratio of characteristic lengths, where critical taper is the yardstick. Depending on a light-funneling property and the presence of focusing organelles such as oil droplets, cone outer segments can be reduced in size to various degrees. We conclude that outer segment taper is but one component of a miniaturization process that reduces metabolic costs while improving signal detection. Compromise solutions in the various retinas and retinal regions occur between ellipsoid size and acuity, on the one hand, and faster response time and reduced light sensitivity, on the other.     

Rhodopsin reconstitution in bleached rod outer segment membranes in the presence of a retinal-binding protein from the honeybee

The physiological role of a retinal-binding protein from honeybee is investigated. This protein, upon previous loading with all-trans retinal and subsequent irradiation with monochromatic light of wavelength 490 nm, is able to promote the reconstitution of rhodopsin when added to a suspension of opsin membranes from bleached bovine rod outer segments. In this respect this retinal-binding protein could have a role very similar to that postulated for the well-known cephalopod retinochrome, that serves to catalyze the formation in the presence of light of 11-cis retinal in photo-receptor cells and to provide it for the reconstitution of rhodopsin during the visual cycle.     

Cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels in rod photoreceptors are protected from retinoid inhibition

In vertebrate rods, photoisomerization of the 11-cis retinal chromophore of rhodopsin to the all-trans conformation initiates a biochemical cascade that closes cGMP-gated channels and hyperpolarizes the cell. All-trans retinal is reduced to retinol and then removed to the pigment epithelium. The pigment epithelium supplies fresh 11-cis retinal to regenerate rhodopsin. The recent discovery that tens of nanomolar retinal inhibits cloned cGMP-gated channels at low [cGMP] raised the question of whether retinoid traffic across the plasma membrane of the rod might participate in the signaling of light. Native channels in excised patches from rods were very sensitive to retinoid inhibition. Perfusion of intact rods with exogenous 9- or 11-cis retinal closed cGMP-gated channels but required higher than expected concentrations. Channels reopened after perfusing the rod with cellular retinoid binding protein II. PDE activity, flash response kinetics, and relative sensitivity were unchanged, ruling out pharmacological activation of the phototransduction cascade. Bleaching of rhodopsin to create all-trans retinal and retinol inside the rod did not produce any measurable channel inhibition. Exposure of a bleached rod to 9- or 11-cis retinal did not elicit channel inhibition during the period of rhodopsin regeneration. Microspectrophotometric measurements showed that exogenous 9- or 11-cis retinal rapidly cross the plasma membrane of bleached rods and regenerate their rhodopsin. Although dark-adapted rods could also take up large quantities of 9-cis retinal, which they converted to retinol, the time course was slow. Apparently cGMP-gated channels in intact rods are protected from the inhibitory effects of retinoids that cross the plasma membrane by a large-capacity buffer. Opsin, with its chromophore binding pocket occupied (rhodopsin) or vacant, may be an important component. Exceptionally high retinoid levels, e.g., associated with some retinal degenerations, could overcome the buffer, however, and impair sensitivity or delay the recovery after exposure to bright light.     

Light-induced decreases in cGMP concentration precede changes in membrane permeability in frog rod photoreceptors

This study examines whether changes in cGMP concentration initiated by illumination of frog rod photoreceptors occur rapidly enough to implicate cGMP as an intermediate between rhodopsin activation in the disc membrane and permeability changes in the plasma membrane. Previous studies using whole retinas or isolated outer segments have provided conflicting evidence on the role of cGMP in the initial events of phototransduction. The rod photoreceptor preparation employed in this work consists of purified suspensions of outer segments still attached to the mitochondria-rich ellipsoid portion of the inner segment. These photoreceptors are known to retain normal electrophysiological responses to illumination and have cGMP levels comparable to those measured in the intact retina. When examined under several different conditions, changes in cGMP concentrations were found to occur as rapidly or more rapidly than the suppression of the membrane dark current. Subsecond changes in cGMP concentration were analyzed with a rapid quench apparatus and confirmed by comparison with a rapid freezing technique. In a 1 mM Ca2+ Ringer's solution, cGMP levels decrease to 65% of their final extent within 200 ms after bright illumination; changes in membrane dark current follow a similar time course. When the light intensity is decreased to 8000 rhodopsins bleached per rod per s, the light-induced cGMP decrease is completed within 50 ms, with 7 X 10(5) cGMP molecules hydrolyzed per rhodopsin bleached. During this time the dark current has not yet begun to change. Thus, under physiological conditions it is clear that changes in cGMP concentration precede permeability changes at the plasma membrane. The correlation of rapid changes in cGMP levels with changes in membrane current leave open the possibility that changes in cGMP concentration may be an obligatory step in the reaction sequence linking rhodopsin activation by light and the resultant decrease in sodium permeability of the plasma membrane.