Due to the difficulties in handling and manipulating membrane-bound proteins, such as rhodopsin, and the lack of crystallographic information on the cone opsins, we have opted to engineer a protein mimic of the transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor. Human cellular retinoic acid binding protein (CRABPII), a well studied and characterized protein, has been reengineered into a protein that now will bind retinal as a protonated Schiff base with high binding affinity (Kd = 2 nM) mimicking that of rhodopsin.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Crist et al. (2006) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: