Molecular Basis for Ultraviolet Vision in Invertebrates

Overview

Journal J Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2003 Dec 4

PMID 14645481

Citations 45

Authors

Ernesto Salcedo

Lijun Zheng

Meridee Phistry

Eve E Bagg

Steven G Britt

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Invertebrates are sensitive to a broad spectrum of light that ranges from UV to red. Color sensitivity in the UV plays an important role in foraging, navigation, and mate selection in both flying and terrestrial invertebrate animals. Here, we show that a single amino acid polymorphism is responsible for invertebrate UV vision. This residue (UV: lysine vs blue:asparagine or glutamate) corresponds to amino acid position glycine 90 (G90) in bovine rhodopsin, a site affected in autosomal dominant human congenital night blindness. Introduction of the positively charged lysine in invertebrates is likely to deprotonate the Schiff base chromophore and produce an UV visual pigment. This same position is responsible for regulating UV versus blue sensitivity in several bird species, suggesting that UV vision has arisen independently in invertebrate and vertebrate lineages by a similar molecular mechanism.

Citing Articles

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