Absorption of a photon by an opsin pigment causes isomerization of the chromophore from
11-cis-retinaldehyde to all-trans-retinaldehyde. Regeneration of visual chromophore …

Lecithin-retinol acyltransferase (LRAT), an enzyme present mainly in the retinal pigmented
epithelial cells and liver, converts all-trans-retinol into all-trans-retinyl esters. In the retinal …

Carotenoids represent a large class of terpenoids characterized by an extensively conjugated
polyene chain. The conjugation system imparts carotenoids with excellent light absorbing …

The uptake of dietary lipids from the small intestine is a complex process that depends on the
activities of specific membrane receptors with yet unknown regulatory mechanisms. Using …

During development, progenitors progress through transition states. The cardiac epicardium
contains progenitors of essential non-cardiomyocytes. The Hippo pathway, a kinase …

Oxidation of retinol via retinaldehyde results in the formation of the essential morphogen all-trans-retinoic
acid (ATRA). Previous studies have identified critical roles in the regulation of …

Chemical transformations of isoprenoids in plants and some bacteria and fungi lead to the
production of various conjugated products, including carotenoids. Carotenoids can be …

Background Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a heterogeneous early-onset retinal dystrophy,
accounts for ~15% of inherited congenital blindness. One cause of LCA is loss of the …

Through its various metabolites, vitamin A controls essential physiological functions. Both
naturally occurring metabolites and novel retinoid analogues have shown effectiveness in …

In vertebrate retinal photoreceptors, photoisomerization of opsin-bound visual chromophore
11-cis-retinal to all-trans-retinal triggers phototransduction events. Regeneration of the …