Rethinking Opsins
Roberto Feuda, Anant K. Menon, Martin C. Göpfert
Abstract
Opsins, the protein moieties of animal visual photo-pigments, have emerged as moonlighting proteins with diverse, light-dependent and -independent physiological functions. This raises the need to revise some basic assumptions concerning opsin expression, structure, classification, and evolution.
Topics & Concepts
OpsinBiologyVisual pigmentsEvolutionary biologyRhodopsinCognitive scienceComputational biologyBotanyRetinalPsychologyPhotoreceptor and optogenetics researchNeurobiology and Insect Physiology ResearchCircadian rhythm and melatonin