Cryo–electron microscopy structures of human cone visual pigments
Abstract
Human trichromatic color vision relies on three cone opsins [long-, middle-, and short-wavelength-sensitive opsins (LWS-, MWS-, and SWS-opsins, respectively)], whereas scotopic rod vision is mediated by rhodopsin. Although the structure of rhodopsin was solved more than 20 years ago, cone opsin structures have been lacking. Here, we present cryo–electron microscopy structures of the three human cone opsins, each bound to a G protein and all- trans retinal in the presumed active state. All three cone opsins differ markedly from rhodopsin. Within the retinal binding pocket, we identified a distinct counterion site (LWS- and MWS-opsins) and a ring of serines around the retinal (SWS-opsin). The active cone opsin structures explain how amino acid substitutions fine-tune spectral sensitivity and help clarify the molecular basis of color vision deficiencies and key differences in rod versus cone activation.
Article Details
Journal Info
Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Authors (26)
Qi Peng
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Jian Li
Haihai Jiang
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Xinyu Cheng
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Probal Nag
Department of Physics, Technical University Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
Gunnar Kleinau
Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Structural Biology of Cellular Signaling, Berlin, Germany.
Trevor D. Lamb
Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
Leon Busche
Department of Physics, Technical University Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
Qiuyuan Lu
Department of Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Sili Zhou
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Yidi Liu
Yuting Zhang
Shenzhen Crystalo Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Sijia Lv
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Shuangyan Wan
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Tingting Yang
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Yixiang Chen
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Wei Zhang
Weiwei Nan
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Ying Fu
Tong Che
The MOE Basic Research and Innovation Center for the Targeted Therapeutics of Solid Tumors, School of Basic Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Yanyan Li
Department of Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Hongfei Liao
Affiliated Eye Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Jingjing Duan
Sphingolipid Metabolism and Aging, Human Aging Research Institute (HARI) and School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Aging and Disease, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Igor Schapiro
Department of Physics, Technical University Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
Patrick Scheerer
Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Structural Biology of Cellular Signaling, Berlin, Germany.
Jin Zhang