bioRxiv2020
Melanopsin, an atypical vertebrate visual pigment, mediates non-image forming light responses including circadian photoentrainment and pupillary light reflexes, and contrast detection for image formation. Melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), are characterized by sluggish activation and deactivation of their light responses. The molecular determinants of mouse melanopsins deactivation have been characterized (i.e. C-terminal phosphorylation and {beta}-arrestin binding), but a detailed analysis of melanopsins activation is lacking. We propose that an extended 3rd cytoplasmic loop is adjacent to the proximal C-terminal region of mouse melanopsin in the inactive conformation which is stabilized by ionic interaction of these two regions. This model is supported by site-directed spin labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of melanopsin, the results of which suggests a high degree of steric freedom at the 3rd cytoplasmic loop, which is increased upon C-terminus truncation, supporting the idea that these two regions are close in 3-dimensional space in wild-type melanopsin. To test for a functionally critical C-terminal conformation, calcium imaging of melanopsin mutants including a proximal C-terminus truncation (at residue 365) and proline mutation of this proximal region (H377P, L380P, Y382P) delayed melanopsins activation rate. Mutation of all potential phosphorylation sites, including a highly conserved tyrosine residue (Y382), into alanines also delayed the activation rate. A comparison of mouse melanopsin with armadillo melanopsin--which has substitutions of various potential phosphorylation sites and a substitution of the conserved tyrosine--indicates that substitution of these potential phosphorylation sites and the tyrosine residue result in dramatically slower activation kinetics, a finding that also supports the role of phosphorylation in signaling activation. We therefore propose that melanopsins C-terminus is proximal to intracellular loop 3 and C-terminal phosphorylation permits the ionic interaction between these two regions, thus forming a stable structural conformation that is critical for initiating G-protein signaling. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCEMelanopsin is an important visual pigment in the mammalian retina that mediates non-image forming responses such as circadian photoentrainment and pupil constriction, and supports contrast detection for image formation. In this study, we detail two critical structural features of mouse melanopsin--its 3rd cytoplasmic loop and C-terminus--that are important in the activation of melanopsins light responses. Furthermore, we propose that these two regions directly participate in coupling mouse melanopsin to its G-protein. These findings contribute to further understanding of GPCR-G-protein coupling, and given recent findings suggesting flexibility of melanopsin signal transduction in the retina (possibly by coupling more than one G-protein type), these findings provide insight into the molecular basis of melanopsin function in the retina.