Vision relies on photoactivation of visualpigments in rod and cone photoreceptor cells of the retina.
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For example, rod and cone visualpigments couple to distinct variants of the heterotrimeric G protein transducin.
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Vertebrate rod and cone photoreceptors require continuous supply of chromophore for regenerating their visualpigments after photoactivation.
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There are exceptions, the firefly squid Watasenia scintillans possesses three kinds of visualpigments in the eye.
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Although nocturnal and diurnal geckos have rod- and cone-based retinas, respectively, they have phylogenetically closely related visualpigments.
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Together, these findings clearly show that human visual perception of near infrared light occurs by two-photon isomerization of visualpigments.
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The signaling properties of the visualpigments modulate many aspects of the function of rods and cones, producing their unique physiological properties.
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Phototransduction is carried out by a signaling pathway that links photoactivation of visualpigments in retinal photoreceptor cells to a change in their membrane potential.
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RPE65 is a retinal pigment epithelial protein essential for the regeneration of 11-cis-retinal, the chromophore of cone and rod visualpigments.