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Masahiro Kono, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Department of Ophthalmology,
Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
Phone: (843) 792-6676
Fax: (843) 792-1723
Email: konom@musc.edu
Education:
B.S., 1986, Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
Ph.D., 1994, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign.
Research Interests:
We are interested in structure/function relationships of visual pigments as they relate to differences between rod and cone pigment proteins and to the general mechanisms of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activation. GPCRs encompass a large superfamily of 7 helix integral membrane proteins that take external signals and activate G proteins inside cells to initiate a variety of signal transduction pathways. These signals include hormones, neurotransmitters, chemokines, odorants, and light. Rhodopsin, the rod cell visual pigment, is arguably the best-studied member. We use molecular biological techniques to generate a number of visual pigment mutants that we then characterize biochemically and biophysically to probe intra and intermolecular interactions. In this manner, we hope to gain insight into the first steps in vision, color regulation of cone pigments, and activation of GPCRs.
Selected Publications:
Kono M, Yu H, Oprian DD. 1998. Disulfide bond exchange in rhodopsin. Biochemistry, 1998; 37:1302-1305.
Takeda K, Sato H, Hino T, Kono M, Fukuda K, Sakurai I, Okada T, Kouyama T. 1998. A novel three-dimensional crystal of bacteriorhodopsin obtained by successive fusion of the vesicular assemblies. J. Mol. Biol., 1998; 283:463-474.
Yu H, Kono M, Oprian DD. 1999. State-dependent disulfide cross-linking in rhodopsin. Biochemistry, 1999; 38:12028-12032.
Kono M, Oprian DD. Split receptors as tools for analyzing G protein-coupled receptor structure. In Receptor Biochemistry and Methodology (Series eds. Strader C and Sibley D), Vol. III Structure-Function Analysis of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (ed. Wess J), 1999; 109-119.
Ma J-x, Kono M, Xu L, Das J, Ryan JC, Hazard III ES, Oprian DD, Crouch RK. 2001. Cloning, expression, and spectral analysis of salamander UV cone pigment. Vis. Neurosci., in press.