Rhodopsin Chromophore Research Articles

Structure and function in rhodopsin: replacement by alanine of cysteine residues 110 and 187, components of a conserved disulfide bond in rhodopsin, affects the light-activated metarhodopsin II state.

A disulfide bond that is evidently conserved in the guanine nucleotide-binding protein-coupled receptors is present in rhodopsin between Cys-110 and Cys-187. We have replaced these two cysteine residues by alanine residues and now report on the properties of the resulting rhodopsin mutants. The mutant protein C110A/C187A expressed in COS cells resembles wild-type rhodopsin in the ground state. It folds correctly to bind 11-cis-retinal and form the characteristic rhodopsin chromophore. It is inert to hydroxylamine in the dark, and its stability to dark thermal decay is reduced, relative to that of the wild type, by a delta delta G not equal to of only -2.9 kcal/mol. Further, the affinities of the mutant and wild-type rhodopsins to the antirhodopsin antibody rho4D2 are similar, both in the dark and in light. However, the metarhodopsin II (MII) and MIII photointermediates of the mutant are less stable than those formed by the wild-type rhodopsin. Although the initial rates of transducin activation are the same for both mutant and wild-type MII intermediates at 4 degrees C, at 15 degrees C the MII photointermediate in the mutant decays more than 20 times faster than in wild type. We conclude that the disulfide bond between Cys-110 and Cys-187 is a key component in determining the stability of the MII structure and its coupling to transducin activation.

Evidence for a bound water molecule next to the retinal Schiff base in bacteriorhodopsin and rhodopsin: a resonance Raman study of the Schiff base hydrogen/deuterium exchange

The retinal chromophores of both rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin are bound to their apoproteins via a protonated Schiff base. We have employed continuous-flow resonance Raman experiments on both pigments to determine that the exchange of a deuteron on the Schiff base with a proton is very fast, with half-times of 6.9 +/- 0.9 and 1.3 +/- 0.3 ms for rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin, respectively. When these results are analyzed using standard hydrogen-deuteron exchange mechanisms, i.e., acid-, base-, or water-catalyzed schemes, it is found that none of these can explain the experimental results. Because the exchange rates are found to be independent of pH, the deuterium-hydrogen exchange can not be hydroxyl (or acid-)-catalyzed. Moreover, the deuterium-hydrogen exchange of the retinal Schiff base cannot be catalyzed by water acting as a base because in that case the estimated exchange rate is predicted to be orders of magnitude slower than that observed. The relatively slow calculated exchange rates are essentially due to the high pKa values of the Schiff base in both rhodopsin (pKa > 17) and bacteriorhodopsin (pKa approximately 13.5). We have also measured the deuterium-hydrogen exchange of a protonated Schiff base model compound in aqueous solution. Its exchange characteristics, in contrast to the Schiff bases of the pigments, is pH-dependent and consistent with the standard base-catalyzed schemes. Remarkably, the water-catalyzed exchange, which has a half-time of 16 +/- 2 ms and which dominates at pH 3.0 and below, is slower than the exchange rate of the Schiff base in rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin. Thus, there are two anomalous results, the inconsistency of the observed hydrogen exchange rates of retinal Schiff base in the two pigments with those predicted from the standard exchange schemes and the enhancement of the rate of hydrogen exchange in the two proteins over the model Schiff base in aqueous solution. We suggest that these results are explained by the presence of a structural water molecule (or molecules) at the retinal binding sites of the two pigments, quite close, probably-hydrogen bonded, to the Schiff base proton. In this case, the rate of exchange can be faster than that found for the model compound due to an "effective water concentration" near the Schiff base that is increased from that found in aqueous solution.

Control of substrate flow at a branch in the visual cycle.

Photoisomerization of rhodopsin's chromophore, 11-cis-retinaldehyde, and subsequent regeneration of the 11-cis configuration are accomplished in vertebrates by a series of reactions known as the visual cycle. At one point in the cycle, 11-cis-retinol can either be enzymatically oxidized to 11-cis-retinaldehyde and exported for visual pigment regeneration or be enzymatically esterified and stored. Partition of substrate at this branch was examined in this study and found to be influenced by cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein (CRALBP), a retinoid-binding protein found in retina. Esterification was reduced to about 10% and oxidation stimulated 2-3-fold in the presence of this protein. Other experiments confirmed that "free" 11-cis-retinol was esterified more rapidly than 11-cis-retinol complexed with CRALBP and that CRALBP.11-cis-retinol was not an inhibitor of the esterification. Following oxidation of CRALBP.11-cis-retinol, the reaction product, 11-cis-retinaldehyde, was found associated with the binding protein. 11-cis-Retinaldehyde is not available for reaction with carbonyl reagents when the retinoid is bound to CRALBP. However, enzymatic oxidation of CRALBP.11-cis-retinol in the presence of O-ethylhydroxylamine produced ca. 30% retinaldehyde O-ethyloxime and 70% free 11-cis-retinaldehyde, suggesting that about one-third of the retinol oxidized had dissociated from the binding protein. Neither oxidation nor esterification of CRALBP.11-cis-retinol was inhibited by including CRALBP.11-cis-retinaldehyde in the reaction mixture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ab Initio Study of 13C NMR Chemical Shifts for the Chromophores of Rhodopsin and Bacteriorhodopsin. 1. Theoretical Estimation of Their Ring-Chain Conformations

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTAb Initio Study of 13C NMR Chemical Shifts for the Chromophores of Rhodopsin and Bacteriorhodopsin. 1. Theoretical Estimation of Their Ring-Chain ConformationsMitsuhito Wada, Minoru Sakurai, Yoshio Inoue, Yusuke Tamura, and Yoichi WatanabeCite this: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 4, 1537–1545Publication Date (Print):February 1, 1994Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 February 1994https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00083a044RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views72Altmetric-Citations19LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (1001 KB) Get e-Alerts Get e-Alerts

On the molecular origin of photoreceptor noise.

Retinal photoreceptors are noisy. They generate discrete electrical events in the dark indistinguishable from those evoked by light and thereby limit visual sensitivity at low levels of illumination. The random spontaneous events are strongly temperature-dependent and have been attributed to thermal isomerizations of the vitamin A chromophore of rhodopsin, the light-sensitive molecule in photoreceptors. But thermal generation of dark events in both vertebrate and invertebrate photoreceptors requires activation energies in the range of 23 to 27 kcal mol-1, which are significantly less than the energy barrier of 45 kcal mol-1, for photoisomerization of the chromophore of native rhodopsin. We propose that photoreceptor noise results from the thermal isomerization of a relatively unstable form of rhodopsin, one in which the Schiff-base linkage between the chromophore and protein is unprotonated. This molecular mechanism is supported by both theoretical calculations of the properties of rhodopsin and experimental measurements of the properties of photoreceptor noise.

Femtosecond dynamics of cis-trans isomerization in a visual pigment analog: isorhodopsin

The photochemical cis-trans isomerization of the visual pigment analog isorhodopsin is investigated using femtosecond pump-probe techniques. The 9-cis-retinal protonated Schiff base chromophore in isorhodopsin is excited with a 40-fs pump pulse at 500 nm, and the transient changes in absorption are measured from 450 to 570 nm using a 10-fs probe pulse centered at 500 nm and from 570 to 670 nm using a 10-fs probe pulse centered at 620 nm. Immediately following the pump pulse we observed a strong excited-state absorption with a maximum at approximately 530 and a stimulated emission feature extending from 590 to 670 nm. Both of these features persist for 100-150 fs, indicating that the excited-state torsional dynamics of 9-cis isorhodopsin are significantly slower than those of the 11-cis chromophore in rhodopsin. An absorption feature between 525 and 670 nm fully develops in approximately fs, indicating the formation of of photoproduct on this time scale. The isomerization time in isorhodopsin is significantly slower than that of rhodopsin (200 fs). 33 refs., 4 figs.

Increased Expression of Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase by Carotenoid and Retinoid Replacement in Drosophila Opsin Promoter Fusion Stocks

Drosophila promoter fusion stocks containing a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene fused to a 2·8 kb DNA fragment from the Rh1 opsin promoter were carotenoid deprived from egg to adult, and then adults were replaced by feeding carrot juice. CAT activity, determined by radiometric assay, was low in deprived flies; it increased rapidly during the first 3 days of replacement and then declined back to the control level. Retinoic acid increased peak CAT activity as much as carrot juice and more than β-carotene, all- trans retinol or all- trans retinal. These findings suggest that vitamin A serves not only as rhodopsin's chromophore but also influences Rh1 opsin gene transcription. Three stocks with various deletions in the Rh1 opsin promoter lacked the carrot juice-dependent elevation of CAT activity. All three deletions include the region from -701 to -488, suggesting that this region may contain a vitamin A-responsive DNA sequence.

Photoisomerization mechanism of the rhodopsin chromophore: picosecond photolysis of pigment containing 11-cis-locked eight-membered ring retinal.

The primary photochemical event in rhodopsin is an 11-cis to 11-trans photoisomerization of its retinylidene chromophore to form the primary intermediate photorhodopsin. Earlier picosecond studies have shown that no intermediate is formed when the retinal 11-ene is fixed through a bridging five-membered ring, whereas a photorhodopsin-like intermediate is formed when it is fixed through a flexible seven-membered ring. Results from a rhodopsin analog formed from a retinal with locked 11-ene structure through the more flexible eight-membered ring (Ret8) are described. Incubation of bovine opsin with Ret8 formed two pigments absorbing at 425 nm (P425) and 500 nm (P500). P425, however, is an artifact because it formed from thermally denatured opsin or other proteins and Ret8. Excitation of P500 with a picosecond green pulse led to formation of two intermediates corresponding to photo- and bathorhodopsins. These results demonstrate that an appearance of early intermediates is dependent on the flexibility of the 11-ene and that the photoisomerization of P500 proceeds by stepwise changes of chromophore-protein interaction, which in turn leads to a relaxation of the highly twisted all-trans-retinylidene chromophore in photorhodopsin.

Chromophore of sensory rhodopsin II from Halobacterium halobium. [Erratum to document cited in CA117(25):247362f

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTChromophore of sensory rhodopsin II from Halobacterium halobium. [Erratum to document cited in CA117(25):247362f]B. Scharf, B. Hess, and M. EngelhardCite this: Biochemistry 1993, 32, 14, 3830Publication Date (Print):April 13, 1993Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 13 April 1993https://doi.org/10.1021/bi00065a045RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views23Altmetric-Citations1LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (531 KB) Get e-Alerts Get e-Alerts

Chromophore of sensory rhodopsin II from Halobacterium halobium.

The photoreceptor sensory rhodopsin II (sR-II) was enriched 120-fold from cell membranes of Halobacterium halobium. The final preparation yields sR-II with a specific content of 3 nmol of sR-II/mg of protein. The spectroscopic measurements were performed on the enriched photoreceptor solubilized in digitonin. In the absolute absorption spectrum of the partially purified receptor, the main peak in the visible range corresponded to sR-II with a maximum at 488 nm. Cytochromes contributed to the spectrum only in a minor band at 415 nm. The extinction coefficient of sR-II was estimated from difference spectra during bleaching with hydroxylamine to be 48,000 M-1 cm-1. The reduced chromophore displayed a pronounced fine structure which is due to the coplanarity of the retinyl residue. The isomeric composition of the chromophore from the enriched photoreceptor was determined in retinal extracts in HPLC. The dark-adapted sR-II contains 80% all-trans- and 20% 13-cis-retinal. After illumination, the ratio changed to 1:1, indicating a trans-cis isomerization during the photocycle of sR-II.

Retinal and retinol promote membrane fusion

Disk membranes from the bovine retinal rod outer segments (ROS) were found to fuse with vesicles made of lipids extracted from unbleached ROS disk membranes, using a lipid mixing assay for membrane fusion (relief of self-quenching of R 18, octadecylrhodamine B chloride). If the retinal chromophore of rhodopsin was reductively linked to opsin before lipid extraction, the vesicles made of the extracted lipids were not suitable targets for fusion of the disk membranes. The addition of retinal and retinool to these vesicles restored their ability to fuse. Therefore, the presence of all- trans retinal was implicated in promoting membrane fusion in this system. To test this possibility, the ability of retinal and retinol to influence the phase behavior and the fusion capability of large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) of N-methyl dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine ( N-methyl-DOPE) was examined. Both retinal and retinaol stimulated the fusion of vesicles of N-methyl-DOPE (contents mixing with ANTS, 1-aminoaphthalene-3,6,8-trisulfonic acid; DPX, p-xylxylene bis(pyridinium bromide)). Both compounds reduced the onset temperature for isotropic resonances in the 31P-NMR spectra of N-methyl-DOPE dispersions and the onset temperature, T H, for formation of hexagonal II phase. These results were consistent with previous studies in which the onset temperature for the 31P-NMR isotropic resonances were correlated with stimulation of membrane fusion. These data suggested that both retinal and retinol may stimulate membrane fusion by destabilizing the bilayers of membranes.

Ab initio study of the 13C NMR chemical shifts for some polyene compounds as models for the chromophore of rhodopsin

AbstractAb initio NMR shieldings, based on the Hansen and Bouman theory, were calculated for some polyene compounds in order to apply the method to retinal proteins. It is shown that the ab initio results reproduce well the magnetic properties peculiar to the polyene 13C chemical shifts. In addition, the 13C and 15N shieldings were calculated for several amines as model compounds of the retinal moiety located in bacteriorhodopsin, and the effect on the chemical shifts of the syn–anti orientation about the CN double bond and the protonation of the Schiff base was investigated.

The role of arrestin and retinoids in the regeneration pathway of rhodopsin.

Phototransduction results from a cascade of reactions that culminate in a neuronal signal. Photoisomerization of rhodopsin's chromophore, 11-cis-retinal to all-trans-retinal, leads to the formation of the activated photoproduct metarhodopsin II (Meta II). Subsequently, Meta II initiates the excitation events by activating many copies of the rod cell-specific G-proteins (Gt or transducin). To terminate the signal, the long-lived Meta II must be quenched. Deactivation of Meta II involves phosphorylation by rhodopsin kinase followed by the binding of arrestin. In order to recycle rhodopsin for phototransduction, arrestin must dissociate, and the chromophore must be replaced. In this study, we show that the reduction of the photolyzed chromophore all-trans-retinal to all-trans-retinol is essential for recycling photoactivated rhodopsin. Once this reduction has occurred, the arrestin blockade of the receptor is removed, the chromophore site becomes accessible for regeneration, and the phosphates can be hydrolyzed. If the reduction does not occur, we demonstrate that free all-trans-retinal can react with the apoprotein to form pseudo-photoproducts that are spectrally identical to the photoinduced metarhodopsin species (Meta I/II/III). The Meta II-like product, M380, interacts tightly with arrestin and kinase, however, it does not measurably interact with Gt. The persistent blockade by arrestin and the low affinity for Gt together prevent activation of the visual cascade. Therefore, any insufficiency in the reduction of all-trans-retinal to all-trans-retinol may lead to the accumulation of M380-arrestin in situ, which may effect adaptational processes.

Dynamical Theory of the Photoisomerization of Rhodopsin Chromophore. I. Calculations of the Transition Probability

Assuming that the stretching-vibrational energy of rhodopsin chromophore dissipates to the protein moiety during the photoisomerization, we consider the deformed excited state Ψ 2 and the virtual ground state Ψ 1 of the π-electron system. We also consider the normal vibrational states { U r j } of the stretching and torsional vibrations in these transient π-electronic states {Ψ r }. The non-stationary state of the chromophore is then expressed as a linear combination of {Ψ r U r j }, and the equation for its coefficients is derived by explicitly taking account of the kinetic energy of atomic cores. On this basis, the probability of the non-adiabatic transition from Ψ 2 to Ψ 1 is calculated as a function of the angle of cis-trans isomerization, as well as the energy dissipation from the chromophore to confirm the reasonability of our proposition of {Ψ r }.

Retinal analog restoration of photophobic responses in a blind Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutant. Evidence for an archaebacterial like chromophore in a eukaryotic rhodopsin

The strain CC-2359 of the unicellular eukaryotic alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii originally described as a low pigmentation mutant is found to be devoid of photophobic stop responses to photostimuli over a wide range of light intensities. Photophobic responses of the mutant are restored by exogenous addition of all-trans retinal. We have combined computer-based cell-tracking and motion analysis with retinal isomer and retinal analog reconstitution of CC-2359 to investigate properties of the photophobic response receptor. Most rapid and most complete reconstitution is obtained with all-trans retinal compared to 13-cis, 11-cis, and 9-cis retinal. An analog locked by a carbon bridge in a 6-s-trans conformation reconstitutes whereas the corresponding 6-s-cis locked analog does not. Retinal analogs prevented from isomerization around the 13-14 double bond by a five-membered ring in the polyene chain (locked in either the 13-trans or 13-cis configuration) do not restore the response, but enter the chromophore binding pocket as evidenced by their inhibition of all-trans retinal regeneration of the response. Results of competition experiments between all-trans and each of the 13-locked analogs fit a model in which each chromophore exhibits reversible binding to the photoreceptor apoprotein. A competitive inhibition scheme closely fits the data and permits calculation of apparent dissociation constants for the in vivo reconstitution process of 2.5 x 10(-11) M, 5.2 x 10(-10) M, and 5.4 x 10(-9) M, for all-trans, 13-trans-locked and 13-cis-locked analogs, respectively. The chromophore requirement for the trans configuration and 6-s-trans conformation, and the lack of signaling function from analogs locked at the 13 position, are characteristic of archaebacterial rhodopsins, rather than the previously studied eukaryotic rhodopsins (i.e., visual pigments).

Ultrafast spectroscopy of the visual pigment rhodopsin.

We report on time-resolved absorption studies of the bovine visual pigment rhodopsin with subpicosecond resolution at room temperature. Our data show that bathorhodopsin, rhodopsin's early photoproduct, is photochemically formed in 3.0 +/- 0.7 ps. The data suggest that bathorhodopsin formation is kinetically preceded by two species along the rhodopsin-to-bathorhodopsin reaction coordinate. The first is identified with the vertically excited Franck-Condon state. This decays with an approximately 200-fs lifetime to an intermediate, which then decays to bathorhodopsin in 3.0 ps. We assign this intermediate to be an excited state transient near 90 degrees along the 11-12 torsional coordinate of rhodopsin's chromophore. Exchange of rhodopsin's exchangeable protons for deuterons does not affect the observed dynamics. These observations are both qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with molecular dynamics calculations, which model the rhodopsin to bathorhodopsin phototransition as a cis-trans isomerization along the 11-12 torsional coordinate of rhodopsin's chromophore.

The First Step in Vision: Femtosecond Isomerization of Rhodopsin

The kinetics of the primary event in vision have been resolved with the use of femtosecond optical measurement techniques. The 11-cis retinal prosthetic group of rhodopsin is excited with a 35-femtosecond pump pulse at 500 nanometers, and the transient changes in absorption are measured between 450 and 580 nanometers with a 10-femtosecond probe pulse. Within 200 femtoseconds, an increased absorption is observed between 540 and 580 nanometers, indicating the formation of photoproduct on this time scale. These measurements demonstrate that the first step in vision, the 11-cis----11-trans torsional isomerization of the rhodopsin chromophore, is essentially complete in only 200 femtoseconds.

Circadian photoreception in the retinally degenerate mouse (rd/rd)

We have examined the effects of light on circadian locomotor rhythms in retinally degenerate mice (C57BL/6J mice homozygous for the rd allele: rd/rd). The sensitivity of circadian photoreception in these mice was determined by varying the irradiance of a 15 min light pulse (515 nm) given at circadian time 16 and measuring the magnitude of the phase shift of the locomotor rhythm. Experiments were performed on animals 80 days of age. Despite the loss of visual photoreceptors in the rd/rd retina, animals showed circadian responses to light that were indistinguishable from mice with normal retinas (rd/+ and +/+). While no photoreceptor outersegments were identified in the retina of rd/rd animals (80-100 days of age), we did identify a small number of perikarya that were immunoreactive for cone opsins, and even fewer cells that contained rod opsin. Using HPLC, we demonstrated the presence and photoisomerization of the rhodopsin chromophore 11-cis retinaldehyde. The rd/rd retinas contained about 2% of 11-cis retinaldehyde found in +/+ retinas. We have yet to determine whether the opsin immunoreactive perikarya or some other unidentified cell type mediate circadian light detection in the rd/rd retina.

Mapping of the amino acids in membrane-embedded helices that interact with the retinal chromophore in bovine rhodopsin

By using a photoactivatable analog of 11-cis-retinal in rhodopsin, we have previously identified the amino acids Phe-115, Ala-117, Glu-122, Trp-126, Ser-127, and Trp-265 as major sites of cross-linking to the chromophore. To further investigate the amino acids that interact with retinal, we have now used site-directed mutagenesis to replace a variety of amino acids in the membrane-embedded helices in bovine rhodopsin, including those that were indicated by cross-linking studies. The mutant rhodopsin genes were expressed in monkey kidney cells (COS-1) and purified. The mutant proteins were studied for their spectroscopic properties and their ability to activate transducin. Substitution of the two amino acids, Trp-265 and Glu-122 by Tyr, Phe, and Ala and by Gln, Asp and Ala, respectively, resulted in blue-shifted (20-30 nm) chromophore, and substitution of Trp-265 by Ala resulted in marked reduction in the extent of chromophore regeneration. Light-dependent bleaching behavior was significantly altered in Ala-117----Phe, Trp-265----Phe, Ala, and Ala-292----Asp mutants. Transducin activation was reduced in these mutants, in particular Trp-265 mutants, as well as in Glu-122----Gln, Trp-126----Leu (Ala), Pro-267----Ala (Asn, Ser), and Tyr-268----Phe mutants. These findings indicate that Trp-265 is located close to retinal and Glu-122, Trp-126, and probably Tyr-268 are also likely to be near retinal.

Transducin Activation by Rhodopsin Without a Covalent Bond to the 11- Cis -Retinal Chromophore

Rhodopsin and the visual pigments are a distinct group within the family of G-protein-linked receptors in that they have a covalently bound ligand, the 11-cis-retinal chromophore, whereas all of the other receptors bind their agonists through noncovalent interactions. The retinal chromophore in rhodopsin is bound by means of a protonated Schiff base linkage to the epsilon-amino group of Lys-296. Two rhodopsin mutants have been constructed, K296G and K296A, in which the covalent linkage to the chromophore is removed. Both mutants form a pigment with an absorption spectrum close to that of the wild type when reconstituted with the Schiff base of an n-alkylamine and 11-cis-retinal. In addition, the pigment formed from K296G and the n-propylamine Schiff base of 11-cis-retinal was found to activate transducin in a light-dependent manner, with 30 to 40% of the specific activity measured for the wild-type protein. It appears that the covalent bond is not essential for binding of the chromophore or for catalytic activation of transducin.