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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Photostimulation alters c-Fos expression in the dorsal raphe nucleus.

Retinal afferents to the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) have been described in a number of species, including Mongolian gerbils, but functional correlates of this optic pathway are unknown at present. To determine whether temporally modulated photostimulation can affect c-Fos expression in the gerbil DRN, quantitative analysis of c-Fos-immunoreactive (c-Fos-ir) neurons was conducted following 60-min exposure to pulsed (2 Hz) photostimulation at selected times over the 12:12 h light/dark cycle. For comparison, c-Fos expression was also analyzed in the subnuclei of the lateral geniculate complex and in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). In the DRN, a substantial reduction was observed in the number of c-Fos immunoreactive (c-Fos-ir) neurons during the light period and early dark period in photostimulated vs. control animals. Similar results were obtained in the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) and ventral lateral geniculate (VLG). However, no significant changes were observed in the number of c-Fos-ir neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus or suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) following photostimulation, except for an increase in the middle of the dark period. These findings indicate that photic stimulation can lead to a suppression or down-regulation of c-Fos expression in the DRN that is probably mediated via the direct retinal pathway to the DRN in this species. The similarity between c-Fos expression profiles in the DRN and IGL/VGL suggest that efferent projections from the DRN may modulate c-Fos expression to visual stimulation in these subnuclei of the lateral geniculate complex.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

A model of phototransduction by the human circadian system.

The absolute and spectral sensitivities to light by the human circadian system, measured through melatonin suppression or phase shifting response, are beginning to emerge after a quarter century of active research. The present paper outlines a hypothesized model of human circadian phototransduction that is consistent with the known neuroanatomy and physiology of the human visual and circadian systems. Spectral opponency is fundamental to the model, providing a parsimonious explanation of some recently published data. The proposed model offers a framework for hypothesis testing and subsequent discussion of the practical aspects of architectural lighting with respect to light and health.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The F box protein AFR is a positive regulator of phytochrome A-mediated light signaling.

Light is an important environmental cue to plants, and much of their physiology is influenced by light. The light signals that drive these responses are perceived by photoreceptors including the red/far-red responsive phytochromes (phyA-E). In addition to direct effects, light also exerts its influence by modifying the rhythms generated by the circadian clock. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the molecular makeup of the interface between the central clock and its input/output pathways is not fully defined, but a major point of control is likely to be protein turnover mediated by the ubiquitin/26S proteasome system. To identify additional constituents of this interface, stable double-stranded RNA interference (RNAi) was used to reduce mRNA levels of rhythmically expressed candidate genes encoding putative components of E3 ubiquitin ligases (i.e., F box and RING finger proteins), followed by screening of the transgenic plants for circadian and light signaling defects. RNAi lines with diminished expression of the novel gene ATTENUATED FAR-RED RESPONSE (AFR) display phenotypes consistent with impaired phyA-mediated light signaling. Furthermore, AFR is a true SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase component. SCF(AFR) is expected to mediate the turnover of a repressor of phyA signaling, possibly to prepare the plant to receive light signals at dawn.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2005

Melanopsin-dependent photoreception provides earliest light detection in the mammalian retina.

BACKGROUND: The visual system is now known to be composed of image-forming and non-image-forming pathways. Photoreception for the image-forming pathway begins at the rods and cones, whereas that for the non-image-forming pathway also involves intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which express the photopigment melanopsin. In the mouse retina, the rod and cone photoreceptors become light responsive from postnatal day 10 (P10); however, the development of photosensitivity of the ipRGCs remains largely unexplored. RESULTS: Here, we provide direct physiological evidence that the ipRGCs are light responsive from birth (P0) and that this photosensitivity requires melanopsin expression. Interestingly, the number of ipRGCs at P0 is over five times that in the adult retina, reflecting an initial overproduction of melanopsin-expressing cells during development. Even at P0, the ipRGCs form functional connections with the suprachiasmatic nucleus, as assessed by light-induced Fos expression. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the non-image-forming pathway is functional long before the mainstream image-forming pathway during development.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Two flagellar genes, AGG2 and AGG3, mediate orientation to light in Chlamydomonas.

Ciliary membranes have a large repertoire of receptors and ion channels that act to transduce information from the environment to the cell. Chlamydomonas offers a tractable system for dissecting the transport and function of ciliary and flagellar membrane proteins. Isolation of ergosterol and sphingolipid-enriched Chlamydomonas flagellar membrane domains identified potential signaling molecules by mass spectroscopy. These include a membrane protein and a matrix flavodoxin protein that are encoded by the AGG2 and AGG3 genes, respectively. Agg2p localizes to the proximal flagellar membrane near the basal bodies. Agg3p is distributed throughout the flagellar matrix, with an increased concentration in the proximal regions where Agg2p is located. Chlamydomonas cells sense light by using a microbial-type rhodopsin , transduce a signal from the cell body to the flagella, and alter the waveform of the flagella to turn a cell toward the light. Protein depletion by RNA interference reveals that both AGG gene products play roles in the orientation of cells to a directional light source. The depleted strains mimic the phenotype of the previously identified agg1 mutant, which swims away from light. We propose that the localization of Agg2p and Agg3p to the proximal region of the flagella may be important for interpreting light signals.

Algal Proteins↗
PubMed2006

Circadian photoreception: spotlight on the brain.

In addition to its visual function, the mammalian eye detects light for a range of behavioral and physiological responses that are separate and apart from sight. Recent studies have begun to shed light on the areas of the brain that respond to such 'non-visual' photoreception in the human eye.

Circadian Rhythm↗
PubMed2005

Melanopsin and other novel mammalian opsins.

Within the past decade, several non-canonical opsins have been identified in mammals. These include RGR, peropsin, melanopsin, encephalopsin, and neuropsin. Although all are expressed in the eye, it is likely that they serve to mediate non-visual effects of light on physiology. Some of these opsins, however, may play an indirect role in vision by generating appropriate retinoid chromophores for the rod and cone visual pigments or by regulating the sensitivity of the visual system. Here, we survey the current state of knowledge regarding these opsins.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Conserved transcriptional regulation of a cone phototransduction gene in vertebrates.

cGMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE) is a key component in visual phototransduction. Rod and cone photoreceptors each produce their unique cGMP-PDE subunits. The alpha' catalytic subunits are believed to be cone-specific. In this study, we report that transfection of the -132 to +139 sequence in the upstream region of the human alpha'-PDE gene fused to luciferase cDNA gives the highest level of reporter gene transcription in cultured retinoblastoma Y79 cells. Transgenic Xenopus laevis carrying this sequence fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) expressed GFP in cones, suggesting a conserved regulatory mechanism for alpha'-PDE transcription in both human and frog.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Small-angle X-ray scattering reveals the solution structure of a bacteriophytochrome in the catalytically active Pr state.

Phytochromes are light-sensing macromolecules that are part of a two component phosphorelay system controlling gene expression. Photoconversion between the Pr and Pfr forms facilitates autophosphorylation of a histidine in the dimerization domain (DHp). We report the low-resolution structure of a bacteriophytochrome (Bph) in the catalytic (CA) Pr form in solution determined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Ab initio modeling reveals, for the first time, the domain organization in a typical bacteriophytochrome, comprising an chromophore binding and phytochrome (PHY) N terminal domain followed by a C terminal histidine kinase domain. Homologous high-resolution structures of the light-sensing chromophore binding domain (CBD) and the cytoplasmic part of a histidine kinase sensor allows us to model 75% of the structure with the remainder comprising the phytochrome domain which has no 3D representative in the structural database. The SAXS data reveal a dimeric Y shaped macromolecule and the relative positions of the chromophores (biliverdin), autophosphorylating histidine residues and the ATP molecules in the kinase domain. SAXS data were collected from a sample in the autophosphorylating Pr form and reveal alternate conformational states for the kinase domain that can be modeled in an open (no-catalytic) and closed (catalytic) state. This model suggests how light-induced signal transduction can stimulate autophosphorylation followed by phosphotransfer to a response regulator (RR) in the two-component system.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2006

Absorption and emission spectroscopic characterization of blue-light receptor Slr1694 from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803.

The BLUF protein Slr1694 from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 is characterized by absorption and emission spectroscopy. Slr1694 expressed from E. coli which non-covalently binds FAD, FMN, and riboflavin (called Slr1694(I)), and reconstituted Slr1694 which dominantly contains FAD (called Slr1694(II)) are investigated. The receptor conformation of Slr1694 (dark adapted form Slr1694(r)) is transformed to the putative signalling state (light adapted form Slr1694(s)) with red-shifted absorption and decreased fluorescence efficiency by blue-light excitation. In the dark at 22 degrees C, the signalling state recovers back to the initial receptor state with a time constants of about 14.2s for Slr1694(I) and 17s for Slr1694(II). Quantum yields of signalling state formation of approximately 0.63+/-0.07 for both Slr1694(I) and Slr1694(II) were determined by transient transmission measurements and intensity dependent steady-state transmission measurements. Extended blue-light excitation causes some bound flavin conversion to the hydroquinone form and some photo-degradation, both with low quantum efficiency. The flavin-hydroquinone re-oxidizes slowly back (time constant 5-9 min) to the initial flavoquinone form in the dark. A photo-cycle dynamics scheme is presented.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2004

Further evidence for the role of cryptochromes in retinohypothalamic photoreception/phototransduction.

Cryptochrome is a blue-light absorbing photopigment that has been proposed to act as a photoreceptor for a variety of nonvisual light-responsive tasks. While mouse models have suggested an important role for cryptochrome in nonvisual photoreception, there are no biochemical data demonstrating the functional photoreceptive capability of cryptochrome in mice. There are two models that describe the effect of cryptochrome on light responsive events: (1) cryptochrome is a photoreceptor or (2) cryptochrome is required for either normal phototransduction from the retina to the brain or for normal transcriptional regulation in the brain, irrespective of light. To differentiate between these two models, we have examined the integrity of the regulatory mechanism of c-fos in cryptochromeless cell lines and in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of cryptochromeless mice. Photoinduction of c-fos mRNA in the SCN can be used as a marker for circadian photoreception/phototransduction and it is drastically reduced in mice lacking cryptochromes. Our results indicate that light-independent transcription regulatory system of c-fos is normal in cryptochromeless mice and that the reduced c-fos light responsiveness in the absence of cryptochromes is due to a loss of photoreceptor function.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Expression of the candidate circadian photopigment melanopsin (Opn4) in the mouse retinal pigment epithelium.

A number of responses to light, including circadian entrainment and pupillary constriction, are preserved in mammals that lack rod and cone photoreceptors. Recent studies have demonstrated that a subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are intrinsically photosensitive, and that these RGCs project to regions of the brain associated with the regulation of the circadian clock and pupil constriction. The photopigment gene(s) that mediate these effects of irradiance remain unidentified, although melanopsin (Opn4) has emerged as a strong candidate. For example, Opn4 is expressed within intrinsically photosensitive RGCs, and Opn4 knock-out mice show attenuated circadian and pupillary responses to light. In this study we provide the first clear evidence that Opn4 expression is not confined to these photosensitive RGCs, but is also expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a tissue with no known photosensensory role. We can preclude retinal contamination of RPE extracts as levels of Opn4 expression were higher in the RPE than in the retina, and the expression of rod opsin and Thy1 (a marker of the RGC layer) were barely detectable in RPE extracts. Our results raise questions about the presumed function of melanopsin, and highlight the need for biochemical studies on this protein.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

The bovine iris-ciliary epithelium expresses components of rod phototransduction.

Earlier studies have documented that the iris in lower vertebrates is photosensitive. In the present work, we examined whether the bovine iris which exhibits a common embryonic origin with the ocular ciliary epithelium and the neural retina, expresses components of phototransduction. By Northern blot and RT-PCR amplification we detected in the iris, rhodopsin, rhodopsin kinase and arrestin transcripts and DNA products, respectively, of the same size as in the retina. By Western blot, antibodies to rhodopsin, rhodopsin kinase and arrestin detected low levels of protein with similar molecular masses as in the retina. Transient transfections of bovine iris cells in vitro with rhodopsin promoter-luciferase-reporter constructs (p130-Luc, p176-Luc, 1225-Luc and p2000-Luc) containing proximal and distal promoter elements led to a significant stimulation of promoter activity over the basal activity. In particular, the construct p225-Luc containing proximal promoter elements upstream of the transcription start site (-225 to +70 bp) led to 3.1-fold stimulation of activity over p176-Luc, 2.1-fold over p130 or p2000-Luc and 190-fold over the basal activity. These results suggested that the bovine iris cells contain factors that could either stimulate or attenuate rhodopsin transcription. The data also supported the view that components associated with non-visual phototransduction are expressed in extraretinal sites including the ciliary epithelium and the iris.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Dexras1 potentiates photic and suppresses nonphotic responses of the circadian clock.

Circadian rhythms of physiology and behavior are generated by biological clocks that are synchronized to the cyclic environment by photic or nonphotic cues. The interactions and integration of various entrainment pathways to the clock are poorly understood. Here, we show that the Ras-like G protein Dexras1 is a critical modulator of the responsiveness of the master clock to photic and nonphotic inputs. Genetic deletion of Dexras1 reduces photic entrainment by eliminating a pertussis-sensitive circadian response to NMDA. Mechanistically, Dexras1 couples NMDA and light input to Gi/o and ERK activation. In addition, the mutation greatly potentiates nonphotic responses to neuropeptide Y and unmasks a nonphotic response to arousal. Thus, Dexras1 modulates the responses of the master clock to photic and nonphotic stimuli in opposite directions. These results identify a signaling molecule that serves as a differential modulator of the gated photic and nonphotic input pathways to the circadian timekeeping system.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Circadian pacemaker neurons transmit and modulate visual information to control a rapid behavioral response.

Circadian pacemaker neurons contain a molecular clock that oscillates with a period of approximately 24 hr, controlling circadian rhythms of behavior. Pacemaker neurons respond to visual system inputs for clock resetting, but, unlike other neurons, have not been reported to transmit rapid signals to their targets. Here we show that pacemaker neurons are required to mediate a rapid behavior. The Drosophila larval visual system, Bolwig's organ (BO), projects to larval pacemaker neurons to entrain their clock. BO also mediates larval photophobic behavior. We found that ablation or electrical silencing of larval pacemaker neurons abolished light avoidance. Thus, circadian pacemaker neurons receive input from BO not only to reset the clock but also to transmit rapid photophobic signals. Furthermore, as clock gene mutations also affect photophobicity, the pacemaker neurons modulate the sensitivity of larvae to light, generating a circadian rhythm in visual sensitivity.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Physiologic diversity and development of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells.

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) mediate numerous nonvisual phenomena, including entrainment of the circadian clock to light-dark cycles, pupillary light responsiveness, and light-regulated hormone release. We have applied multielectrode array recording to characterize murine ipRGCs. We find that all ipRGC photosensitivity is melanopsin dependent. At least three populations of ipRGCs are present in the postnatal day 8 (P8) murine retina: slow onset, sensitive, fast off (type I); slow onset, insensitive, slow off (type II); and rapid onset, sensitive, very slow off (type III). Recordings from adult rd/rd retinas reveal cells comparable to postnatal types II and III. Recordings from early postnatal retinas demonstrate intrinsic light responses from P0. Early light responses are transient and insensitive but by P6 show increased photosensitivity and persistence. These results demonstrate that ipRGCs are the first light-sensitive cells in the retina and suggest previously unappreciated diversity in this cell population.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2005

Photoreceptor adaptation in intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells.

A rare type of mammalian retinal ganglion cell (RGC) expresses the photopigment melanopsin and is a photoreceptor. These intrinsically photosensitive RGCs (ipRGCs) drive circadian-clock resetting, pupillary constriction, and other non-image-forming photic responses. Both the light responses of ipRGCs and the behaviors they drive are remarkably sustained, raising the possibility that, unlike rods and cones, ipRGCs do not adjust their sensitivity according to lighting conditions ("adaptation"). We found, to the contrary, that ipRGC sensitivity is plastic, strongly influenced by lighting history. When exposed to a constant, bright background, the background-evoked response decayed, and responses to superimposed flashes grew in amplitude, indicating light adaptation. After extinction of a light-adapting background, sensitivity recovered progressively in darkness, indicating dark adaptation. Because these adjustments in sensitivity persisted when synapses were blocked, they constitute "photoreceptor adaptation" rather than "network adaptation." Implications for the mechanisms generating various non-image-forming visual responses are discussed.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2006

Melanopsin: another way of signaling light.

A subset of melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells has been identified to be directly photosensitive (pRGCs), modulating a range of behavioral and physiological responses to light. Recent expression studies of melanopsin have provided compelling evidence that melanopsin is the photopigment of the pRGCs. However, the mechanism by which melanopsin transduces light information remains an open question. This review discusses the signaling pathways that may underlie melanopsin-dependent phototransduction in native pRGCs, as well as the many exciting challenges ahead.

Animals↗