Evolution of visual pigments and related molecules

Specificity of the horizontal cell-photoreceptor connections in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) retina

Horizontal cells (HCs) are involved in establishing the center-surround receptive field organization of photoreceptor and bipolar cells. In many species, HCs respond differentially to colors and may play a role in color vision. An earlier study from our laboratory suggested that four types of HCs exist in the zebrafish retina: three cone HCs (H1, H2 and H3) and one rod HC. In this study, we describe their photoreceptor connections. Cones are arranged in a mosaic in which rows of alternating blue (B)- and ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive single cones alternate with rows of red (R)- and green (G)-sensitive double cones; the G cones are adjacent to UV cones and B cones adjacent to R cones. Two small-field (H1 and H2) and two large-field (H3 and rod HC) cells were observed. The cone HC dendritic terminals connected to cones with single boutons, doublets, or rosettes, whereas the rod HCs connected to rods with single boutons. The single boutons/doublets/rosettes of cone HCs were arranged in double rows separated by single rows for H1 cells, in pairs and singles for H2 cells, and in a rectilinear pattern for H3 cells. These connectivity patterns suggest that H1 cells contact R, G, and B cones, H2 cells G, B, and UV cones, and H3 cells B and UV cones. These predictions were confirmed by applying the DiI method to SWS1-GFP retinas whose UV cones express green fluorescent protein. Each rod HC was adjacent to the soma or axon of a DiI-labeled cone HC and connected to 50-200 rods.

Retinylidene proteins: structures and functions from archaea to humans

Retinylidene proteins, containing seven membrane-embedded alpha-helices that form an internal pocket in which the chromophore retinal is bound, are ubiquitous in photoreceptor cells in eyes throughout the animal kingdom. They are also present in a diverse range of other organisms and locations, such as archaeal prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotic microbes, the dermal tissue of frogs, the pineal glands of lizards and birds, the hypothalamus of toads, and the human brain. Their functions include light-driven ion transport and phototaxis signaling in microorganisms, and retinal isomerization and various types of photosignal transduction in higher animals. The aims of this review are to examine this group of photoactive proteins as a whole, to summarize our current understanding of structure/function relationships in the best-studied examples, and to report recent new developments.