Retro-.GAMMA.-retinals and visual pigment analogues.

Abstract

As the part of the studies to clarify the interaction between 11-cis retinal and apoprotein opsin in the rhodopsin molecule, the retro-γ-retinal, possessing the dissected diene and trienal groups, has been investigated as a new chromophore in rhodopsin analogues. The syntheses, spectral properties of three retro-γ-retinal isomers [all-trans (VIIa), 11-cis (VIIa') and 9-cis (VIIb)] and some chemical behaviours of VIIb have been described. Of these three isomers, VIIb has given a new artificial visual pigment.