RP1
Encyclopedia
Oxygen-regulated protein 1 also known as retinitis pigmentosa 1 protein (RP1) is a protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the RP1 gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

Function

Initially named for its response to in vivo retinal
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...

 oxygen levels (designated ORP1 for 'oxygen-regulated protein-1'), this gene was subsequently linked to autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic eye conditions that leads to incurable blindness. In the progression of symptoms for RP, night blindness generally precedes tunnel vision by years or even decades. Many people with RP do not become legally blind until their 40s or 50s and retain some...

 and was renamed RP1 for 'retinitis pigmentosa 1'. The data suggest that mutations in this gene cause dominant RP, and that the encoded protein has an important but unknown role in photoreceptor
Photoreceptor
A photoreceptor cell is a specialized type of neuron found in the eye's retina that is capable of phototransduction. The great biological importance of photoreceptors is that they convert light into signals that can stimulate biological processes...

biology.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK