The Role of Phosphorylation in Photoreceptor Cell Biology

Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Phototransduction in vertebrate rods and cones consists of a series of precisely timed events that are necessary for photoreceptors to function in an environment of continually changing light conditions. We have determined that the retina-specific G protein-coupled receptor kinases, GRK1 and GRK7, which play critical roles in recovery and adaptation in rods and cones, are both substrates for cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in vitro and in vivo. Phosphorylation by PKA reduces the ability of these kinases to phosphorylate their substrates, the opsins, in vitro. Human cones express both GRK1 and GRK7, unlike mice, which lack the gene for GRK7 and express only GRK1 in cones. Both kinases have been implicated in human retinopathies, such as Oguchi disease, a stationary night blindness syndrome, and Enhanced S Cone Syndrome. Therefore, understanding their regulation in vivo will contribute to the understanding of pathological conditions in the retina. Since mice are not an appropriate model for studying the role of these 2 kinases in human vision, we propose to use zebrafish larvae as a model to define the functional consequences of GRK1 and GRK7 phosphorylation by PKA. The zebrafish retina is functionally an all-cone retina at 4-7 days post fertilization (dpf) and expresses both GRK1 and GRK7 in cones. Morpholinos will be used to suppress the expression of GRK1, GRK7 or both kinases and the results evaluated by optokinetic and electroretinographic (ERG) analyses. The relative levels of GRK1 and GRK7 will be measured in cones isolated from zebrafish expressing EGFP under the control of the zebrafish cone transducin promoter. To evaluate the influence of phosphorylation by PKA, transgenic fish will be generated expressing mutants in which the phosphorylation sites have been eliminated (Ser to Ala) and mutants in which phosphorylation is mimicked by a negatively charged amino acid (Ser to Glu). The wild-type proteins will be suppressed by morpholinos in these fish and the effects of the mutants measured by optokinetic analysis and ERG. These studies will provide a foundation for understanding the novel role of phosphorylation by PKA on recovery and adaptation in vertebrate cones. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Cones differ from rods in the sensitivity and kinetics of the light response as well as their susceptibility to genetically and environmentally induced disease processes. We have determined that GRK1 and GRK7 are phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Since cAMP is regulated by light in the vertebrate retina, it may regulate the response of cones to light via mechanisms not previously described. It is anticipated that these studies will lead to a better understanding of cone function advance our ability to prevent cone-related diseases.