Vitamin A and Vision
Carrots contain beta-carotene. Our bodies convert it into a form of Vitamin A called retinal. Retinal is important for the first chemical step in human vision, called phototransduction.
This process starts in the retina which contains two types of photoreceptor cells: the rods and the cones. Although this video exemplifies how Vitamin A works in the rods, the molecular machinery in both types of cells is similar. Learn how Vitamin A activates the molecular pathways that are essential for vision.
Video Guide
To access the individual sections, click on the link below and hit “Play” on the YouTube video. The video will start playing at the indicated time.
Related Resources
To learn more about the key proteins shown is this video, read the Molecule of the Month articles on Rhodopsin and G Proteins.
Browse PDB-101 resources to learn more about:
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Generation of rhodopsin
Activation of rhodopsin and transducin
Activation of cGMP phosphodiesterase
