Rhodopsin Kinase Activity in the Mammalian Pineal Gland and Other Tissues

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 226; no. 4671; pp. 182 - 184
• Main Authors: Somers, Robert L., Klein, David C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC The American Association for the Advancement of Science 12.10.1984; American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - enzymology; Enzymes; Eye; Eye Proteins; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 1; Gels; Hypothalamus. Hypophysis. Epiphysis. Urophysis; Light; Liver; Lung - enzymology; Morphology. Functional localizations; Neuroendocrinology; Opsins; Ovaries; Phosphorylation; Physiological aspects; Pineal gland; Pineal Gland - enzymology; Pituitary Gland - enzymology; Posterior pituitary; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Protein Kinases - metabolism; Rats; Receptors; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta - metabolism; Retina; Retina - enzymology; Rhodopsin; Tissue Distribution; Vertebrates: endocrinology; Zinc; Zinc - pharmacology; Specific activity; Pineal body; Vertebrata; Mammalia
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.6091271

Rhodopsin kinase, an enzyme involved in photochemical transduction in the retina, has been found in the mammalian pineal gland in amounts equal to those in the retina; other tissues had 7 percent of this amount, or less. This finding suggests that, in mammals, rhodopsin kinase functions in the pineal gland and other tissues to phosphorylate rhodopsin-like integral membrane receptors and is thereby involved in signal transduction.