Tritium labeled fucose and palmitic acid were injected into the vitreous chambers of the eyes of miniature poodles, both normals and animals affected with inherited progressive rod-cone degeneration. The fucose and palmitate were incorporated into an integral membrane protein having the properties of rhodopsin on column chromatography as well as SDS gel electrophoresis. Simultaneous injection of carbon labeled leucine resulted in doubly labeled rhodopsin. Neither rhodopsin synthesis nor its post-translational modification by fucose or palmitate appeared to be altered in the affected poodles. Thus neither modification appears related to the reduced rate of disc membrane assembly in the dystrophic dog retina.
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NIH ExPorter