Mechanism of activation of light-activated phosphodiesterase and evidence for homology with hormone-activated adenylate cyclase

Light-activated cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) is one of the effector proteins in the rod outer segments in vertebrate retina. The hydrolysis of cGMP in rod occurs with a speed and light sensitivity which suggests a role for this hydrolysis in visual transduction. In fact, there is electrophysiological data which supports the possibility that cGMP could regulate rod membrane voltage. PDE shows very rapid activation in the presence of photons and GTP. We have called attention to the intriguing analogy between light activated rod phosphodiesterase and hormone activated adenylate cyclase. A number of studies have implicated the binding of GTP to a GTP binding protein as a factor in the hormone dependent activation of adenylate cyclase. Moreover, Cassel and Selinger have shown that hydrolysis of GTP is a component in the inactivation of the hormone dependent adenylate cyclase. We review here recent additional data which provide specific molecular details of the mechanism of light activation of rod PDE as well as demonstrate the exchange of components between light activated PDE and hormone activated cyclase.