Abstract cGMP controls many cellular functions ranging from growth, viability, and
differentiation to contractility, secretion, and ion transport. The mammalian genome encodes …

Guanylyl cyclases are a family of enzymes that catalyze the conversion of GTP to cGMP. The
family comprises both membrane-bound and soluble isoforms that are expressed in nearly …

Visual perception in humans occurs through absorption of electromagnetic radiation from
400 to 780 nm by photoreceptors in the retina. A photon of visible light carries a sufficient …

Nitric oxide, bicarbonate, natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP and CNP), guanylins, uroguanylins
and guanylyl cyclase activating proteins (GCAPs) activate a family of enzymes variously …

When light is absorbed within the outer segment of a vertebrate photoreceptor, the
conformation of the photopigment rhodopsin is altered to produce an activated photoproduct …

The basis of the duplex theory of vision is examined in view of the dazzling array of data on
visual pigment sequences and the pigments they form, on the microspectrophotometry …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the research that has characterized the G-
protein cascade of transduction in vertebrate photoreceptors, with particular emphasis on …

Recent studies have elucidated how the absorption of a photon in a rod or cone cell leads to
the generation of the amplified neural signal that is transmitted to higher-order visual …

The cone and cone–rod dystrophies form part of a heterogeneous group of retinal disorders
that are an important cause of visual impairment in children and adults. There have been …

The eyeless animal C. elegans is able to sense light and engages in phototaxis behavior
that is mediated by photoreceptor cells. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms …