A role for direct interactions in the modulation of rhodopsin by omega-3 polyunsaturated lipids.

ABSTRACT: Rhodopsin, the G protein-coupled receptor primarily responsible for sensing light, is found in an environment rich in polyunsaturated lipid chains and cholesterol. Biophysical experiments have shown that lipid unsaturation and cholesterol both have significant effects on rhodopsin's stability and function; omega-3 polyunsaturated chains, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), destabilize rhodopsin and enhance the kinetics of the photocycle, whereas cholesterol has the opposite effect. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the possibility that polyunsaturated chains modulate rhodopsin stability and kinetics via specific direct interactions. By analyzing the results of 26 independent 100-ns simulations of dark-adapted rhodopsin, we found that DHA routinely forms tight assoc

SUBMITTER: Grossfield A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1458765 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature