Wagner E, McCaffery P, Mey J, Farhangfar F, Applebury M L, Dräger U C
E. Kennedy Shriver Center, Waltham, Massachusetts 02254, USA.
FASEB J. 1997 Mar;11(4):271-5. doi: 10.1096/fasebj.11.4.9068616.
Arrestin, which plays a role in the termination of the visual transduction cascade, is one of several photoreceptor proteins whose mRNA levels are increased by light. Retinoic acid, a by-product of photoreceptor signaling and a potent modulator of hormonal transcription control, is one candidate for regulating the arrestin mRNA levels. Here we show that retinoic acid, injected intraperitoneally into dark-adapted mice, increases the arrestin mRNA levels and mimics the effect of light. Injection of 1 mumol of retinoic acid produces a maximal increase in arrestin mRNA levels. The mRNA level reaches a maximum 3 h after injection and slowly declines thereafter. The observations suggest that retinoic acid may mediate the increase in arrestin mRNA produced by light.
