Metarhodopsin III formation and decay kinetics: comparison of bovine and human rhodopsin.

Absorbance spectra were recorded at various times after photolysis of hypotonically washed membrane suspensions of human and bovine rhodopsin (pH 7 or 8, T = 20 or 37 degrees C). Global data analysis showed that at 20 degrees C, metarhodopsin III formation was the only process occurring from 1 to 30 min following photolysis. At pH 8, a significant amount of human metarhodopsin I was present before metarhodopsin III formed. At 37 degrees C, two decay processes were seen, formation of metarhodopsin III (lifetime 113 +/- 3 sec bovine, 93 +/- 2 sec human) and formation of a species with the properties of n-retinylidine opsin (lifetime 900 +/- 150 sec bovine, 2000 +/- 350 sec human). A larger fraction of human rhodopsin (approximately 50%) is converted to metarhodopsin III than is the case for bovine rhodopsin (approximately 35%).