insect photoreceptors R1-R6 and similar proteins, member of the class A family of seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors
This group includes the insect photoreceptors and their closely related proteins. The Drosophila eye is composed of about 800 unit eyes called ommatidia, each of which contains eight photoreceptor cells (R1-R8). The six outer photoreceptors (R1-R6) function like the vertebrate rods and are responsible for motion detection in dim light and image formation. The R1-R6 photoreceptors express a blue-absorbing pigment, Rhodopsin 1(Rh1). The inner photoreceptors (R7 and R8) are considered the equivalent of the color-sensitive vertebrate cone cells, which express a range of different pigments. The R7 photoreceptors express one of two different UV absorbing pigments, either Rh3 or Rh4. Likewise, the R8 photoreceptors express either the blue absorbing pigment Rh5 or green absorbing pigment Rh6. These photoreceptors belong the class A of the G protein-coupled receptors and possess seven-transmembrane (TM) alpha-helices interconnected by three extracellular and three intracellular loops.
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