PRIMARY STRUCTURE AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A BULLFROG VISUAL PIGMENT CONTAINED IN SMALL SINGLE CONES

A cDNA fragment encoding a putative visual pigment (FCV pigment) was i solated from the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana. Its deduced amino acid se quence shows high similarities to those of short wavelength-sensitive pigments such as human blue-, chicken violet- and goldfish ultraviolet -sensitive pigments. An antiserum against its C-terminal amino acid se quence recognized the outer segments of small cone photoreceptor cells without oil droplets. It is suggested that the FCV pigment is a short wavelength-sensitive pigment contained in small single cones which ha ve not I,een characterized previously. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.