Article
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Direct Interaction of Avian Cryptochrome 4 with a Cone Specific G-protein
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
*
,
,
,
,
,
,
*
Version 1
: Received: 13 June 2022 / Approved: 14 June 2022 / Online: 14 June 2022 (08:37:43 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Görtemaker et al. Direct Interaction of Avian Cryptochrome 4 with a Cone Specific G-Protein. Cells 2022, 11, 2043. Görtemaker et al. Direct Interaction of Avian Cryptochrome 4 with a Cone Specific G-Protein. Cells 2022, 11, 2043.
Abstract
Background: Night-migratory birds sense the Earth´s magnetic field by an unknown molecular mechanism. Theoretical and experimental evidence support the hypothesis that light-induced formation of a radical-pair in European robin cryptochrome 4a, ErCry4a, is the primary signalling step in the retina of the bird. In the present work, we investigated a possible route of cryptochrome signalling involving the α-subunit of the cone specific heterotrimeric G protein from European robin. Methods: Protein-protein interaction studies include surface plasmon resonance, pulldown affinity binding and Förster resonance energy transfer. Results: Surface plasmon resonance studies showed direct interaction revealing high to moderate affinity for binding of non-myristoylated and myristoylated G protein to ErCry4a, respectively. Pulldown affinity experiments confirmed this complex formation in solution. We validated these in vitro data by monitoring the interaction between ErCry4a and G protein in a transiently transfected neuroretinal cell line using Förster resonance energy transfer. Conclusions: Our results suggest that ErCry4a and the G protein also interact in vivo and might constitute the first biochemical signalling step in radical-pair-based magnetoreception.
Keywords
magnetoreception; cryptochrome; G protein α-subunit; protein-protein interaction
Subject
LIFE SCIENCES, Biochemistry
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comments (0)
We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.
Leave a public commentSend a private comment to the author(s)
