Abstract
A light-activated phosphodiesterase (PDE) from retinal rod outer segments (ROS) has been strongly implicated as a possible mediator in the propagation of the visual response. In view of the probable importance of this enzyme in the visual system, a comparison of the PDE proteins from ROS of different evolutionary species was made. Partial purification of the PDE, as measured by enzymic activity, followed by resolution of the protein components on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, indicated that the major Coomassie Blue-staining species in the ROS of all species studied is a doublet of 84000-88000 Da. After radioiodination, this doublet was converted in all but the frog proteins into a single band of 85000 Da. Two-dimensional tryptic peptide mapping of the radioiodinated peptides indicated that at least six major peptides of the putative PDE have been conserved in all of the species studies. If this protein is indeed associated with PDE activity, such conserved peptides may play an important role in the catalytic and/or regulatory functions of the enzyme.