Biomaterial Database

Phototransduction and the evolution of photoreceptors. 2010

Gordon L Fain, and Roger Hardie, and Simon B Laughlin

Departments of Physiological Science and Ophthalmology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7000, USA. gfain@ucla.edu <gfain@ucla.edu>

Photoreceptors in metazoans can be grouped into two classes, with their photoreceptive membrane derived either from cilia or microvilli. Both classes use some form of the visual pigment protein opsin, which together with 11-cis retinaldehyde absorbs light and activates a G-protein cascade, resulting in the opening or closing of ion channels. Considerable attention has recently been given to the molecular evolution of the opsins and other photoreceptor proteins; much is also known about transduction in the various photoreceptor types. Here we combine this knowledge in an attempt to understand why certain photoreceptors might have conferred particular selective advantages during evolution. We suggest that microvillar photoreceptors became predominant in most invertebrate species because of their single-photon sensitivity, high temporal resolution, and large dynamic range, and that rods and a duplex retina provided primitive chordates and vertebrates with similar sensitivity and dynamic range, but with a smaller expenditure of ATP.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008954	Models, Biological	Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of biological processes or diseases. For disease models in living animals, DISEASE MODELS, ANIMAL is available. Biological models include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Biological Model,Biological Models,Model, Biological,Models, Biologic,Biologic Model,Biologic Models,Model, Biologic
D010802	Phylogeny	The relationships of groups of organisms as reflected by their genetic makeup.	Community Phylogenetics,Molecular Phylogenetics,Phylogenetic Analyses,Phylogenetic Analysis,Phylogenetic Clustering,Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis,Phylogenetic Comparative Methods,Phylogenetic Distance,Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares,Phylogenetic Groups,Phylogenetic Incongruence,Phylogenetic Inference,Phylogenetic Networks,Phylogenetic Reconstruction,Phylogenetic Relatedness,Phylogenetic Relationships,Phylogenetic Signal,Phylogenetic Structure,Phylogenetic Tree,Phylogenetic Trees,Phylogenomics,Analyse, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic Comparative,Clustering, Phylogenetic,Community Phylogenetic,Comparative Analysis, Phylogenetic,Comparative Method, Phylogenetic,Distance, Phylogenetic,Group, Phylogenetic,Incongruence, Phylogenetic,Inference, Phylogenetic,Method, Phylogenetic Comparative,Molecular Phylogenetic,Network, Phylogenetic,Phylogenetic Analyse,Phylogenetic Clusterings,Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses,Phylogenetic Comparative Method,Phylogenetic Distances,Phylogenetic Group,Phylogenetic Incongruences,Phylogenetic Inferences,Phylogenetic Network,Phylogenetic Reconstructions,Phylogenetic Relatednesses,Phylogenetic Relationship,Phylogenetic Signals,Phylogenetic Structures,Phylogenetic, Community,Phylogenetic, Molecular,Phylogenies,Phylogenomic,Reconstruction, Phylogenetic,Relatedness, Phylogenetic,Relationship, Phylogenetic,Signal, Phylogenetic,Structure, Phylogenetic,Tree, Phylogenetic
D005075	Biological Evolution	The process of cumulative change over successive generations through which organisms acquire their distinguishing morphological and physiological characteristics.	Evolution, Biological
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014785	Vision, Ocular	The process in which light signals are transformed by the PHOTORECEPTOR CELLS into electrical signals which can then be transmitted to the brain.	Vision,Light Signal Transduction, Visual,Ocular Vision,Visual Light Signal Transduction,Visual Phototransduction,Visual Transduction,Phototransduction, Visual,Transduction, Visual
D017948	Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells	Photosensitive afferent neurons located in the peripheral retina, with their density increases radially away from the FOVEA CENTRALIS. Being much more sensitive to light than the RETINAL CONE CELLS, the rod cells are responsible for twilight vision (at scotopic intensities) as well as peripheral vision, but provide no color discrimination.	Photoreceptors, Rod,Retinal Rod Cells,Rod Photoreceptors,Rods (Retina),Retinal Rod,Retinal Rod Cell,Retinal Rod Photoreceptor,Retinal Rod Photoreceptors,Rod Photoreceptor Cells,Cell, Retinal Rod,Cell, Rod Photoreceptor,Cells, Retinal Rod,Cells, Rod Photoreceptor,Photoreceptor Cell, Rod,Photoreceptor Cells, Rod,Photoreceptor, Retinal Rod,Photoreceptor, Rod,Photoreceptors, Retinal Rod,Retinal Rods,Rod (Retina),Rod Cell, Retinal,Rod Cells, Retinal,Rod Photoreceptor,Rod Photoreceptor Cell,Rod Photoreceptor, Retinal,Rod Photoreceptors, Retinal,Rod, Retinal,Rods, Retinal
D017956	Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate	Specialized cells in the invertebrates that detect and transduce light. They are predominantly rhabdomeric with an array of photosensitive microvilli. Illumination depolarizes invertebrate photoreceptors by stimulating Na+ influx across the plasma membrane.	Invertebrate Photoreceptors,Photoreceptors, Invertebrate,Invertebrate Photoreceptor Cells,Cell, Invertebrate Photoreceptor,Cells, Invertebrate Photoreceptor,Invertebrate Photoreceptor,Invertebrate Photoreceptor Cell,Photoreceptor Cell, Invertebrate,Photoreceptor, Invertebrate
D020419	Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate	Specialized PHOTOTRANSDUCTION neurons in the vertebrates, such as the RETINAL ROD CELLS and the RETINAL CONE CELLS. Non-visual photoreceptor neurons have been reported in the deep brain, the PINEAL GLAND and organs of the circadian system.	Retinal Photoreceptor Cells,Rods and Cones,Photoreceptors, Retinal,Photoreceptors, Vertebrate,Retinal Photoreceptors,Vertebrate Photoreceptor Cells,Vertebrate Photoreceptors,Cell, Retinal Photoreceptor,Cell, Vertebrate Photoreceptor,Cells, Retinal Photoreceptor,Cells, Vertebrate Photoreceptor,Cones and Rods,Photoreceptor Cell, Retinal,Photoreceptor Cell, Vertebrate,Photoreceptor Cells, Retinal,Photoreceptor, Retinal,Photoreceptor, Vertebrate,Retinal Photoreceptor,Retinal Photoreceptor Cell,Vertebrate Photoreceptor,Vertebrate Photoreceptor Cell