short wave-sensitive 1 opsins, member of the class A family of seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors
This group includes Short Wave-Sensitive opsin 1 (SWS1), which mediates visual transduction in response to light at short wavelengths (ultraviolet to blue). Vertebrate cone opsins are expressed in cone photoreceptor cells of the retina and involved in mediating photopic vision, which allows color perception. The cone opsins can be classified into four classes according to their peak absorption wavelengths: SWS1 (ultraviolet sensitive), SWS2 (short wave-sensitive), MWS/LWS (medium/long wave-sensitive), and RH2 (medium wave-sensitive, rhodopsin-like opsins). Members of this group belong to the class A of the G protein-coupled receptors and possess seven-transmembrane (TM) alpha-helices interconnected by three extracellular and three intracellular loops.