OPSIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does opsin mean? 

• OPSIN (noun)
  The noun OPSIN has 1 sense:

1. retinal protein formed by the action of light on rhodopsin

  Familiarity information: OPSIN used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OPSIN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Retinal protein formed by the action of light on rhodopsin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("opsin" is a kind of...):

protein (any of a large group of nitrogenous organic compounds that are essential constituents of living cells; consist of polymers of amino acids; essential in the diet of animals for growth and for repair of tissues; can be obtained from meat and eggs and milk and legumes)

Holonyms ("opsin" is a substance of...):

iodopsin (a violet photopigment in the retinal cones of the eyes of most vertebrates; plays a role in daylight vision)

retinal purple; rhodopsin; visual purple (a red photopigment in the retinal rods of vertebrates; dissociates into retinene by light)

 Context examples 

The photon isomerizes 11-cis-retinal to all-trans-retinal which induces a structural change that activates the opsin.

(Phototransduction Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

The distal portion of the photoreceptor cells made up of densely packed disks containing opsin proteins that absorb light.

(Outer Segment of the Photoreceptor Cell, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes G protein-coupled receptor kinase 7 protein, is involved in deactivation of cone opsins in the retina.

(GRK7 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein plays a role in the phosphorylation of opsins which modulates the photoresponsiveness of cone cells.

(G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 7, NCI Thesaurus)

The vertebrate cascade starts with the absorption of photons by the photoreceptive pigments, the rhodopsins, which consist of a membrane embedded chromophore, 11-cis-retinal, and a G-protein-coupled receptor, opsin.

(Phototransduction Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)