Biomaterial Database

The visual pigments of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). 1998

J I Fasick, and T W Cronin, and D M Hunt, and P R Robinson

The Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore 21250, USA.

To assess the dolphin's capacity for color vision and determine the absorption maxima of the dolphin visual pigments, we have cloned and expressed the dolphin opsin genes. On the basis of sequence homology with other mammalian opsins, a dolphin rod and long-wavelength sensitive (LWS) cone opsin cDNAs were identified. Both dolphin opsin cDNAs were expressed in mammalian COS-7 cells. The resulting proteins were reconstituted with the chromophore 11-cis-retinal resulting in functional pigments with absorption maxima (lambdamax) of 488 and 524 nm for the rod and cone pigments respectively. These lambdamax values are considerably blue shifted compared to those of many terrestrial mammals. Although the dolphin possesses a gene homologous to other mammalian short-wavelength sensitive (SWS) opsins, it is not expressed in vivo and has accumulated a number of deletions, including a frame-shift mutation at nucleotide position 31. The dolphin therefore lacks the common dichromatic form of color vision typical of most terrestrial mammals.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D002417	Cattle	Domesticated bovine animals of the genus Bos, usually kept on a farm or ranch and used for the production of meat or dairy products or for heavy labor.	Beef Cow,Bos grunniens,Bos indicus,Bos indicus Cattle,Bos taurus,Cow,Cow, Domestic,Dairy Cow,Holstein Cow,Indicine Cattle,Taurine Cattle,Taurus Cattle,Yak,Zebu,Beef Cows,Bos indicus Cattles,Cattle, Bos indicus,Cattle, Indicine,Cattle, Taurine,Cattle, Taurus,Cattles, Bos indicus,Cattles, Indicine,Cattles, Taurine,Cattles, Taurus,Cow, Beef,Cow, Dairy,Cow, Holstein,Cows,Dairy Cows,Domestic Cow,Domestic Cows,Indicine Cattles,Taurine Cattles,Taurus Cattles,Yaks,Zebus
D003001	Cloning, Molecular	The insertion of recombinant DNA molecules from prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic sources into a replicating vehicle, such as a plasmid or virus vector, and the introduction of the resultant hybrid molecules into recipient cells without altering the viability of those cells.	Molecular Cloning
D003118	Color Perception	Mental processing of chromatic signals (COLOR VISION) from the eye by the VISUAL CORTEX where they are converted into symbolic representations. Color perception involves numerous neurons, and is influenced not only by the distribution of wavelengths from the viewed object, but also by its background color and brightness contrast at its boundary.	Color Perceptions,Perception, Color,Perceptions, Color
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D004289	Dolphins	Mammals of the families Delphinidae (ocean dolphins), Iniidae, Lipotidae, Pontoporiidae, and Platanistidae (all river dolphins). Among the most well-known species are the BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN and the KILLER WHALE (a dolphin). The common name dolphin is applied to small cetaceans having a beaklike snout and a slender, streamlined body, whereas PORPOISES are small cetaceans with a blunt snout and rather stocky body. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 5th ed, pp978-9)	Amazon Dolphins,Baiji,Cephalorhynchus,Chinese River Dolphin,Delphinidae,False Killer Whale,Franciscana,Fraser's Dolphin,Ganges Dolphin,Gray Grampus,Humpback Dolphins,Irrawaddy River Dolphin,La Plata Dolphin,Lagenorhynchus,Lissodelphis,Many-Toothed Blackfish,Marine Dolphins,Melon-Headed Whale,Ocean Dolphins,Piebald Dolphins,Platanista,Pontoporia blainvillei,Pygmy Killer Whale,Right Whale Dolphins,Risso's Dolphin,Rough-Toothed Dolphin,Sousa,Susus,Tucuxi Dolphin,Whale, False Killer,Whale, Melon-Headed,Whale, Pygmy Killer,White-Beaked Dolphins,Amazon River Dolphins,Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins,Feresa attenuata,Ganges River Dolphin,Grampus griseus,Inia geoffrensis,Lagenodelphis hosei,Lagenorhynchus acutus,Lagenorhynchus albirostris,Langenorhynchus obliquidens,Lipotes vexillifer,Orcaella brevirostris,Pacific White-Sided Dolphins,Peponocephala electra,Planista gangetica,Pseudorca crassidens,Sotalia fluviatilis,Steno bredanensis,Yangtze River Dolphin,Atlantic White Sided Dolphins,Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin,Baijus,Dolphin,Dolphin, Fraser's,False Killer Whales,Franciscanas,Fraser Dolphin,Frasers Dolphin,Humpback Dolphin,Lagenodelphis hoseus,Lagenorhynchus albirostri,Langenorhynchus obliquiden,Lissodelphi,Many Toothed Blackfish,Marine Dolphin,Melon Headed Whale,Melon-Headed Whales,Ocean Dolphin,Orcaella brevirostri,Pacific White Sided Dolphins,Pacific White-Sided Dolphin,Piebald Dolphin,Planista gangeticas,Platanistas,Pontoporia blainvilleus,Pseudorca crassiden,Pygmy Killer Whales,Right Whale Dolphin,Risso Dolphin,Rissos Dolphin,Rough Toothed Dolphin,Rough-Toothed Dolphins,Sotalia fluviatili,Tucuxi Dolphins,White Beaked Dolphins,White-Beaked Dolphin
D005260	Female		Females
D000595	Amino Acid Sequence	The order of amino acids as they occur in a polypeptide chain. This is referred to as the primary structure of proteins. It is of fundamental importance in determining PROTEIN CONFORMATION.	Protein Structure, Primary,Amino Acid Sequences,Sequence, Amino Acid,Sequences, Amino Acid,Primary Protein Structure,Primary Protein Structures,Protein Structures, Primary,Structure, Primary Protein,Structures, Primary Protein
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