Occurrence of a binding protein for 11-cis-retinal in retina.

A binding protein for retinal has been found in the soluble protein fraction of bovine retina. It was separable from the intracellular retinol- and retinoic acid-binding proteins by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and appeared to have a molecular weight of about 50,000. The new binding protein did not bind retinol or retinoic acid. The binding protein neither oxidized retinal in the presence of reduced pyridine nucleotides and is presumed, therefore, not to be a dehydrogenase. Bound retinal was reduced to retinol in the presence of liver alcohol dehydrogenase and NADH, indicating that the functional group remained accessible when in the protein complex. The binding protein bound cis isomers of retinal preferentially. Bound ligand was displaced most effectively by 11-cis-retinal. When individual cis-trans isomers of retinal were presented to the binding protein, binding was maximal with the 11-cis isomer. It is proposed that the protein be referred to as 11-cis-retinal-binding protein.