RHODOPSIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rhodopsin mean? 

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

1. a red photopigment in the retinal rods of vertebrates; dissociates into retinene by light

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• RHODOPSIN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A red photopigment in the retinal rods of vertebrates; dissociates into retinene by light

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

retinal purple; rhodopsin; visual purple

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

photopigment (a special pigment found in the rods and cones of the retina)

Meronyms (substance of "rhodopsin"):

opsin (retinal protein formed by the action of light on rhodopsin)

retinal; retinene (either of two yellow to red retinal pigments formed from rhodopsin by the action of light)

Holonyms ("rhodopsin" is a part of...):

retinal rod; rod; rod cell (a visual receptor cell that is sensitive to dim light)

 Context examples 

This allele, which encodes neuron-specific calcium-binding protein hippocalcin protein, plays a role in the modulation of rhodopsin signaling.

(HPCA wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Displaying recoverin activity and a Ca(2+)-dependent inhibition of rhodopsin kinase, it may be involved in the Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of rhodopsin phosphorylation.

(Hippocalcin, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes rhodopsin kinase protein, plays a role in the deactivation of rhodopsin.

(GRK1 wt Allele, 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)

G-protein coupled receptors are thought to have seven membrane spanning domains and have been divided into 2 subclasses: those in which the binding site is in the extracellular domain for example receptors for glycoprotein hormones, such as thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and those in which the ligand binding site is likely to be in the plane of the 7 transmembrane domains for example rhodopsin and receptors for small neurotransmitters and hormones for example muscarinic acetylcholine receptor.

(G Protein-Coupled Receptor, NCI Thesaurus)

Recovery from light involves the deactivation of the light-activated intermediates: photolyzed rhodopsin is phosphorylated by rhodopsin kinase (RK) and subsequently capped off by arrestin; GTP-binding transducin alpha subunit deactivates through a process that is stimulated by RGS9.

(Phototransduction Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)