Rhodopsin: a structural primer for G-protein coupled receptors.

An overview of the rhodopsin crystal structure provides a structural basis for understanding the structures and functions of other G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). All of the structural details observed to date for rhodopsin will not necessarily carry over to other GPCRs, but major features such as the arrangement of the seven transmembrane helices, the retinal/ligand binding site, the D(E)RY and NPXXY sequence and structural motifs, and the bent helices are likely characteristics of the GPCRs most closely related to rhodopsin. A general view of these structural features is presented here.