Structural analysis of a transducisome in photoreceptor rod cells by cryo-electron microscopy

信号分子组装成大分子复合物被认为在细胞内信号通路中提供特异性和敏感性。在视网膜杆状光感受器中，在效应器的激活/失活周期中，预计会形成特定的g蛋白/效应器组合，即环GMP磷酸二酯酶（PDE）。PDE反过来又被假设与在环核苷酸门控通道周围形成的质膜中的通道复合物进行通信。我们希望利用单粒子低温电子显微镜（cryo-EM）获得这些大分子复合物的结构信息。我们还想探索一种潜在的转导体的形成，这种转导体被认为可以在光感受器盘和细胞的质膜之间形成桥接结构，并且被认为是由一组不寻常的富含谷氨酸的蛋白质（GARPs）促进的。

The assembly of signaling molecules into macromolecular complexes is thought to provide specificity and sensitivity in intracellular signaling pathways. In retinal rod photoreceptors, a specific G-protein/effector assembly is expected to form during the activation/deactivation cycle of the effector, a cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE). The PDE in turn was hypothesized to communicate with the channel complex in the plasma membrane forming around the cyclic nucleotide gated channel. Using single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) we want to obtain structural information about these macromolecular complexes. We also want to explore the formation of a potential transducisome that was proposed to form a bridging structure between the photoreceptor disc and the plasma membrane of the cell and is thought to be facilitated by an unusual set of glutamic-acid-rich proteins (GARPs).