Molecular mechanisms of invertebrate visual systems

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The G protein coupled signal transduction systems are expressed in most cells of the body and in most living organisms. The invertebrate visual system that we study is the fastest G protein-coupled system in all biology. In my laboaratory we are conducting research in the invertebrate North Atlantic squid that has large eyes that are very similar in structure to humans. Over the past fifteen years my laboratory has isolated many of the proteins involved in the visual system of the squid and we have cloned DNAs encoding these proteins. We have uncovered many of the molecular interactions that both activate and inactivate the visual process in squid and these have led us to a better understanding of how these types of signalling systems work.