Chemistry and biology of the initial steps in vision: the Friedenwald lecture.

ABSTRACT: Visual transduction is the process in the eye whereby absorption of light in the retina is translated into electrical signals that ultimately reach the brain. The first challenge presented by visual transduction is to understand its molecular basis. We know that maintenance of vision is a continuous process requiring the activation and subsequent restoration of a vitamin A-derived chromophore through a series of chemical reactions catalyzed by enzymes in the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Diverse biochemical approaches that identified key proteins and reactions were essential to achieve a mechanistic understanding of these visual processes. The three-dimensional arrangements of these enzymes' polypeptide chains provide invaluable insights into their mechanisms of action. A we

SUBMITTER: Palczewski K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4207101 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature