Phosducin (Pdc) is a G protein ␥ dimer (G␥) binding protein, highly expressed in retinal photoreceptor and pineal cells, yet whose physiological role remains elusive. Light controls the phosphorylation of Pdc in a cAMP and Ca 2؉ -dependent manner, and phosphorylation in turn regulates the binding of Pdc to G t ␥ or 14-3-3 proteins in vitro. To directly examine the phosphorylation of Pdc in intact retina, we prepared antibodies specific to the three principal phosphorylation sites (Ser-54, Ser-73, and Ser-106) and measured the kinetics of phosphorylation/dephosphorylation during light/dark adaptation and the subsequent effects on G t ␥ binding. Ser-54 phosphorylation increased slowly (t1 ⁄2 ϳ 90 min) during dark adaptation to ϳ70% phosphorylated and decreased rapidly (t1 ⁄2 ϳ 2 min) during light adaptation to less than 20% phosphorylated. Ser-73 phosphorylation increased much faster during dark adaptation (t1 ⁄2 ϳ 3 min) to ϳ50% phosphorylated and decreased more slowly during light adaptation (t1 ⁄2 ϳ 9 min) to less than 20% phosphorylated. The Ca 2؉ chelator BAPTA-AM blocked Ser-54 phosphorylation during dark adaptation but had no effect on Ser-73 phosphorylation. In contrast, Ser-106 was not phosphorylated in either the light or dark. Importantly, G␥ binding to Pdc was enhanced by Ca 2؉ chelation and the binding kinetics closely paralleled those of Ser-54 dephosphorylation, indicating that Ser-54 phosphorylation controls G t ␥ binding in vivo. These results suggest a pivotal role of Ser-54 and Ser-73 phosphorylation in determining the interactions of Pdc with its binding partners, G t ␥ and 14-3-3 protein, which may regulate the light-dependent translocation of the photoreceptor G protein.G protein-coupled receptors mediate cellular responses to a wide variety of signals including hormones, neurotransmitters, odorants, chemoattractants, and photons of light. The conversion of light into a neural response by the photoreceptor cells of the vertebrate retina is initiated by a canonical G protein signaling pathway involving the receptor rhodopsin, the photoreceptor G protein, transducin (G t ), 1 cGMP phosphodiesterase, and cGMP-gated cation channels (1). Closure of the channels in response to light causes a hyperpolarization of the photoreceptor cell membrane, which triggers the neural response. In addition, channel closure also results in a decrease in Ca 2ϩ in the photoreceptor cell, which orchestrates a number of molecular events that lead to a decrease in sensitivity of the photoreceptor to light, a process termed light adaptation (2).The role of the G t ␣ subunit in activation of the phosphodiesterase has been extensively studied (3-5), as has regulation of its GTPase activity by RGS-9 (6 -8). In contrast, the only known function of the G t ␥ subunit complex is to mediate the interaction of G t ␣ with rhodopsin, yet in other G protein signaling systems G␥ plays significant roles in downstream effector activation (9). Besides G t ␣, the only other reported binding partner for G t ␥ in photoreceptor c...