Dopamine modulates diurnal and circadian rhythms of protein phosphorylation in photoreceptor cells of mouse retina.

Many aspects of photoreceptor metabolism are regulated as diurnal or circadian rhythms. The nature of the signals that drive rhythms in mouse photoreceptors is unknown. Dopamine amacrine cells in mouse retina express core circadian clock genes, leading us to test the hypothesis that dopamine regulates rhythms of protein phosphorylation in photoreceptor cells.

Cone photoreceptor betagamma-transducin: posttranslational modification and interaction with phosducin.

Purpose: To characterize the structure of cone betagamma-transducin (Tbeta3gamma8) and its interaction with phosducin (pdc).

Methods: The Tgamma8 subunit of Tbeta3gamma8 was isolated by column chromatography for peptide mapping with mass spectrometry. Tbeta3gamma8 was compared with rod betagamma-transducin (Tbeta1gamma1) in terms of the electrophoretic mobility, pdc binding affinity, and the effects of phosphorylation and methylation, and then the correlation to the crystal structures and functional domains of Tbeta1gamma1 was determined.

Ubiquitylation of the transducin betagamma subunit complex. Regulation by phosducin.

G proteins (Galphabetagamma) are essential signaling molecules, which dissociate into Galpha and Gbetagamma upon activation by heptahelical membrane receptors. We have identified the betagamma subunit complex of the photoreceptor-specific G protein, transducin (T), as a target of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Ubiquitylated species of the transducin gamma-subunit (Tgamma) but not the alpha- or beta-subunits were assembled de novo in bovine photoreceptor preparations.