Nature Communications (Mar 2018)
Opn5L1 is a retinal receptor that behaves as a reverse and self-regenerating photoreceptor
Abstract
Opsins are G protein-coupled receptors which are activated by light-triggered retinal 11-cis-to-all-trans photoisomerization. Here, the authors report a vertebrate non-visual opsin (Opn5L1) that functions as a Gi-coupled retinal receptor, is deactivated by light and can thermally self-regenerate.