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O'Connor MS, Bragg ZT, Dearworth JR, Hendrickson HP. Quantum Mechanics/Molecular mechanics calculations predict A1, not A2, is present in melanopsin (Opn4m) of red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans). Vision Res 2023; 209:108245. [PMID: 37290221 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Melanopsin is a photopigment that plays a role in non-visual, light-driven, cellular processes such as modulation of circadian rhythms, retinal vascular development, and the pupillary light reflex (PLR). In this study, computational methods were used to understand which chromophore is harbored by melanopsin in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans). In mammals, the vitamin A derivative 11-cis-retinal (A1) is the chromophore, which provides functionality for melanopsin. However, in red-eared slider turtles, a member of the reptilian class, the identity of the chromophore remains unclear. Red-eared slider turtles, similar to other freshwater vertebrates, possess visual pigments that harbor a different vitamin A derivative, 11-cis-3,4-didehydroretinal (A2), making their pigments more sensitive to red-light than blue-light, therefore, suggesting the chromophore to be the A2 derivative instead of the A1. To help resolve the chromophore identity, in this work, computational homology models of melanopsin in red-eared slider turtles were first constructed. Next, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations were carried out to compare how A1 and A2 derivatives bind to melanopsin. Time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations were then used to determine the excitation energy of the pigments. Lastly, calculated excitation energies were compared to experimental spectral sensitivity data from responses by the irises of red-eared sliders. Contrary to what was expected, our results suggest that melanopsin in red-eared slider turtles is more likely to harbor the A1 chromophore than the A2. Furthermore, a glutamine (Q622.56) and tyrosine (Y853.28) residue in the chromophore binding pocket are shown to play a role in the spectral tuning of the chromophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S O'Connor
- Department of Chemistry, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, United States
| | - Zoey T Bragg
- Department of Chemistry, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, United States
| | - James R Dearworth
- Department of Biology, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, United States
| | - Heidi P Hendrickson
- Department of Chemistry, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, United States.
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2
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Bertolesi GE, Debnath N, Malik HR, Man LLH, McFarlane S. Type II Opsins in the Eye, the Pineal Complex and the Skin of Xenopus laevis: Using Changes in Skin Pigmentation as a Readout of Visual and Circadian Activity. Front Neuroanat 2022; 15:784478. [PMID: 35126061 PMCID: PMC8814574 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2021.784478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The eye, the pineal complex and the skin are important photosensitive organs. The African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, senses light from the environment and adjusts skin color accordingly. For example, light reflected from the surface induces camouflage through background adaptation while light from above produces circadian variation in skin pigmentation. During embryogenesis, background adaptation, and circadian skin variation are segregated responses regulated by the secretion of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and melatonin through the photosensitivity of the eye and pineal complex, respectively. Changes in the color of skin pigmentation have been used as a readout of biochemical and physiological processes since the initial purification of pineal melatonin from pigs, and more recently have been employed to better understand the neuroendocrine circuit that regulates background adaptation. The identification of 37 type II opsin genes in the genome of the allotetraploid X. laevis, combined with analysis of their expression in the eye, pineal complex and skin, is contributing to the elucidation of the role of opsins in the different photosensitive organs, but also brings new questions and challenges. In this review, we analyze new findings regarding the anatomical localization and functions of type II opsins in sensing light. The contribution of X. laevis in revealing the neuroendocrine circuits that regulate background adaptation and circadian light variation through changes in skin pigmentation is discussed. Finally, the presence of opsins in X. laevis skin melanophores is presented and compared with the secretory melanocytes of birds and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel E. Bertolesi
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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Yamamoto H, Kon T, Omori Y, Furukawa T. Functional and Evolutionary Diversification of Otx2 and Crx in Vertebrate Retinal Photoreceptor and Bipolar Cell Development. Cell Rep 2021; 30:658-671.e5. [PMID: 31968244 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Otx family homeoproteins Otx2 and Crx are expressed in photoreceptor precursor cells and bind to the common DNA-binding consensus sequence, but these two proteins have distinct functions in retinal development. To examine the functional substitutability of Otx2 and Crx, we generate knockin mouse lines in which Crx is replaced by Otx2 and vice versa. We find that Otx2 and Crx cannot be substituted in photoreceptor development. Subsequently, we investigate the function of Otx2 in photoreceptor and bipolar cell development. High Otx2 levels induce photoreceptor cell fate but not bipolar cell fate, whereas reduced Otx2 expression impairs bipolar cell maturation and survival. Furthermore, we identify Otx2 and Crx in the lamprey genome by using synteny analysis, suggesting that the last common ancestor of vertebrates possesses both Otx2 and Crx. We find that the retinal Otx2 expression pattern is different between lampreys and mice, suggesting that neofunctionalization of Otx2 occurred in the jawed vertebrate lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Yamamoto
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Kon
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Omori
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takahisa Furukawa
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
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Shen B, Wada S, Nishioka H, Nagata T, Kawano-Yamashita E, Koyanagi M, Terakita A. Functional identification of an opsin kinase underlying inactivation of the pineal bistable opsin parapinopsin in zebrafish. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2021; 7:1. [PMID: 33579376 PMCID: PMC7881645 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-021-00171-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In the pineal organ of zebrafish larvae, the bistable opsin parapinopsin alone generates color opponency between UV and visible light. Our previous study suggested that dark inactivation of the parapinopsin photoproduct, which activates G-proteins, is important for the regulation of the amount of the photoproduct. In turn, the photoproduct is responsible for visible light sensitivity in color opponency. Here, we found that an opsin kinase or a G-protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK) is involved in inactivation of the active photoproduct of parapinopsin in the pineal photoreceptor cells of zebrafish larvae. We investigated inactivation of the photoproduct in the parapinopsin cells of various knockdown larvae by measuring the light responses of the cells using calcium imaging. We found that GRK7a knockdown slowed recovery of the response of parapinopsin photoreceptor cells, whereas GRK1b knockdown or GRK7b knockdown did not have a remarkable effect, suggesting that GRK7a, a cone-type GRK, is mainly responsible for inactivation of the parapinopsin photoproduct in zebrafish larvae. We also observed a similar knockdown effect on the response of the parapinopsin photoreceptor cells of mutant larvae expressing the opsin SWS1, a UV-sensitive cone opsin, instead of parapinopsin, suggesting that the parapinopsin photoproduct was inactivated in a way similar to that described for cone opsins. We confirmed the immunohistochemical distribution of GRK7a in parapinopsin photoreceptor cells by comparing the immunoreactivity to GRK7 in GRK7a-knockdown and control larvae. These findings suggest that in pineal photoreceptor cells, the cone opsin kinase GRK7a contributes greatly to the inactivation of parapinopsin, which underlies pineal color opponency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoguo Shen
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
| | - Seiji Wada
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
- The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
| | - Haruka Nishioka
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
| | - Takashi Nagata
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
| | - Emi Kawano-Yamashita
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
- Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Nara Women's University, Kitauoyanishi-machi, Nara, 630-8506, Japan
| | - Mitsumasa Koyanagi
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
- The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
| | - Akihisa Terakita
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan.
- The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan.
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Morshedian A, Huynh TH, Frederiksen R, Fain GL, Sampath AP. Pupillary light reflex of lamprey Petromyzon marinus. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R65-R66. [PMID: 33497630 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The discoveries of the photopigment melanopsin and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) have revealed novel mechanisms of light detection now known to control several kinds of non-image-forming vision, including regulation of mood, the circadian rhythm, and the pupillary light reflex (PLR). These remarkable discoveries have been made mostly on mammals, but many vertebrates express melanopsin and adjust the diameter of the pupil to the ambient light intensity to extend the operating range of vision and reduce spherical aberration1. We were curious to know whether a PLR controlled by melanopsin is also present in lamprey, which are members of the only remaining group of jawless vertebrates (agnathans) which diverged from all other vertebrates about 500 million years ago2. We now show that lamprey have a robust PLR mediated by melanopsin apparently without any contribution from signals of rods and cones, suggesting that non-image-forming perception emerged long before the radiation of present vertebrate lines and was already present in the late Cambrian.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ala Morshedian
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7000, USA
| | - Theodore Henry Huynh
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7000, USA
| | - Rikard Frederiksen
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7000, USA
| | - Gordon L Fain
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7000, USA; Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7000, USA.
| | - Alapakkam P Sampath
- Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7000, USA.
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Dong EM, Allison WT. Vertebrate features revealed in the rudimentary eye of the Pacific hagfish ( Eptatretus stoutii). Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202187. [PMID: 33434464 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hagfish eyes are markedly basic compared to the eyes of other vertebrates, lacking a pigmented epithelium, a lens and a retinal architecture built of three cell layers: the photoreceptors, interneurons and ganglion cells. Concomitant with hagfish belonging to the earliest-branching vertebrate group (the jawless Agnathans), this lack of derived characters has prompted competing interpretations that hagfish eyes represent either a transitional form in the early evolution of vertebrate vision, or a regression from a previously elaborate organ. Here, we show the hagfish retina is not extensively degenerating during its ontogeny, but instead grows throughout life via a recognizable PAX6+ ciliary marginal zone. The retina has a distinct layer of photoreceptor cells that appear to homogeneously express a single opsin of the RH1 rod opsin class. The epithelium that encompasses these photoreceptors is striking because it lacks the melanin pigment that is universally associated with animal vision; notwithstanding, we suggest this epithelium is a homologue of gnathosome retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) based on its robust expression of RPE65 and its engulfment of photoreceptor outer segments. We infer that the hagfish retina is not entirely rudimentary in its wiring, despite lacking a morphologically distinct layer of interneurons: multiple populations of cells exist in the hagfish inner retina and subsets of these express markers of vertebrate retinal interneurons. Overall, these data clarify Agnathan retinal homologies, reveal characters that now appear to be ubiquitous across the eyes of vertebrates, and refine interpretations of early vertebrate visual system evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Dong
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T7Y 1C4
| | - W Ted Allison
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T7Y 1C4
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Non-visual Opsins and Novel Photo-Detectors in the Vertebrate Inner Retina Mediate Light Responses Within the Blue Spectrum Region. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2020; 42:59-83. [PMID: 33231827 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-020-00997-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, a number of novel non-visual opsin photopigments belonging to the family of G protein- coupled receptors, likely involved in a number of non-image-forming processes, have been identified and characterized in cells of the inner retina of vertebrates. It is now known that the vertebrate retina is composed of visual photoreceptor cones and rods responsible for diurnal/color and nocturnal/black and white vision, and cells like the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and photosensitive horizontal cells in the inner retina, both detecting blue light and expressing the photopigment melanopsin (Opn4). Remarkably, these non-visual photopigments can continue to operate even in the absence of vision under retinal degeneration. Moreover, inner retinal neurons and Müller glial cells have been shown to express other photopigments such as the photoisomerase retinal G protein-coupled receptor (RGR), encephalopsin (Opn3), and neuropsin (Opn5), all able to detect blue/violet light and implicated in chromophore recycling, retinal clock synchronization, neuron-to-glia communication, and other activities. The discovery of these new photopigments in the inner retina of vertebrates is strong evidence of novel light-regulated activities. This review focuses on the features, localization, photocascade, and putative functions of these novel non-visual opsins in an attempt to shed light on their role in the inner retina of vertebrates and in the physiology of the whole organism.
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Yamaguchi K, Koyanagi M, Kuraku S. Visual and nonvisual opsin genes of sharks and other nonosteichthyan vertebrates: Genomic exploration of underwater photoreception. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:968-976. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kazuaki Yamaguchi
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) Kobe Japan
| | - Mitsumasa Koyanagi
- Department of Biology and Geosciences Graduate School of Science Osaka City University Osaka Japan
| | - Shigehiro Kuraku
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (BDR) Kobe Japan
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From extraocular photoreception to pigment movement regulation: a new control mechanism of the lanternshark luminescence. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10195. [PMID: 32576969 PMCID: PMC7311519 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67287-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The velvet belly lanternshark, Etmopterus spinax, uses counterillumination to disappear in the surrounding blue light of its marine environment. This shark displays hormonally controlled bioluminescence in which melatonin (MT) and prolactin (PRL) trigger light emission, while α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) play an inhibitory role. The extraocular encephalopsin (Es-Opn3) was also hypothesized to act as a luminescence regulator. The majority of these compounds (MT, α-MSH, ACTH, opsin) are members of the rapid physiological colour change that regulates the pigment motion within chromatophores in metazoans. Interestingly, the lanternshark photophore comprises a specific iris-like structure (ILS), partially composed of melanophore-like cells, serving as a photophore shutter. Here, we investigated the role of (i) Es-Opn3 and (ii) actors involved in both MT and α-MSH/ACTH pathways on the shark bioluminescence and ILS cell pigment motions. Our results reveal the implication of Es-Opn3, MT, inositol triphosphate (IP3), intracellular calcium, calcium-dependent calmodulin and dynein in the ILS cell pigment aggregation. Conversely, our results highlighted the implication of the α-MSH/ACTH pathway, involving kinesin, in the dispersion of the ILS cell pigment. The lanternshark luminescence then appears to be controlled by the balanced bidirectional motion of ILS cell pigments within the photophore. This suggests a functional link between photoreception and photoemission in the photogenic tissue of lanternsharks and gives precious insights into the bioluminescence control of these organisms.
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10
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The non-visual opsins expressed in deep brain neurons projecting to the retina in lampreys. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9669. [PMID: 32541666 PMCID: PMC7295746 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66679-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In lower vertebrates, brain photoreceptor cells express vertebrate-specific non-visual opsins. We previously revealed that a pineal-related organ-specific opsin, parapinopsin, is UV-sensitive and allows pineal wavelength discrimination in lampreys and teleost. The Australian pouched lamprey was recently reported as having two parapinopsin-related genes. We demonstrate that a parapinopsin-like opsin from the Japanese river lamprey exhibits different molecular properties and distribution than parapinopsin. This opsin activates Gi-type G protein in a mammalian cell culture assay in a light-dependent manner. Heterologous action spectroscopy revealed that the opsin forms a violet to blue-sensitive pigment. Interestingly, the opsin is co-localised with green-sensitive P-opsin in the cells of the M5 nucleus of Schober (M5NS) in the mesencephalon of the river and brook lamprey. Some opsins-containing cells of the river lamprey have cilia and others an axon projecting to the retina. The opsins of the brook lamprey are co-localised in the cilia of centrifugal neurons projecting to the retina, suggesting that cells expressing the parapinopsin-like opsin and P-opsin are sensitive to violet to green light. Moreover, we found neural connections between M5NS cells expressing the opsins and the retina. These findings suggest that the retinal activity might be modulated by brain photoreception.
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Nagata T, Koyanagi M, Tsukamoto H, Mutt E, Schertler GFX, Deupi X, Terakita A. The counterion-retinylidene Schiff base interaction of an invertebrate rhodopsin rearranges upon light activation. Commun Biol 2019; 2:180. [PMID: 31098413 PMCID: PMC6513861 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0409-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals sense light using photosensitive proteins-rhodopsins-containing a chromophore-retinal-that intrinsically absorbs in the ultraviolet. Visible light-sensitivity depends primarily on protonation of the retinylidene Schiff base (SB), which requires a negatively-charged amino acid residue-counterion-for stabilization. Little is known about how the most common counterion among varied rhodopsins, Glu181, functions. Here, we demonstrate that in a spider visual rhodopsin, orthologue of mammal melanopsins relevant to circadian rhythms, the Glu181 counterion functions likely by forming a hydrogen-bonding network, where Ser186 is a key mediator of the Glu181-SB interaction. We also suggest that upon light activation, the Glu181-SB interaction rearranges while Ser186 changes its contribution. This is in contrast to how the counterion of vertebrate visual rhodopsins, Glu113, functions, which forms a salt bridge with the SB. Our results shed light on the molecular mechanisms of visible light-sensitivity relevant to invertebrate vision and vertebrate non-visual photoreception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Nagata
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585 Japan
| | - Mitsumasa Koyanagi
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585 Japan
- The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585 Japan
| | - Hisao Tsukamoto
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585 Japan
| | - Eshita Mutt
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Gebhard F. X. Schertler
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Xavier Deupi
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
- Condensed Matter Theory Group, Laboratory for Scientific Computing and Modelling, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Akihisa Terakita
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585 Japan
- The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Osaka, 558-8585 Japan
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12
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Suzuki DG, Grillner S. The stepwise development of the lamprey visual system and its evolutionary implications. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 93:1461-1477. [PMID: 29488315 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Lampreys, which represent the oldest group of living vertebrates (cyclostomes), show unique eye development. The lamprey larva has only eyespot-like immature eyes beneath a non-transparent skin, whereas after metamorphosis, the adult has well-developed image-forming camera eyes. To establish a functional visual system, well-organised visual centres as well as motor components (e.g. trunk muscles for locomotion) and interactions between them are needed. Here we review the available knowledge concerning the structure, function and development of the different parts of the lamprey visual system. The lamprey exhibits stepwise development of the visual system during its life cycle. In prolarvae and early larvae, the 'primary' retina does not have horizontal and amacrine cells, but does have photoreceptors, bipolar cells and ganglion cells. At this stage, the optic nerve projects mostly to the pretectum, where the dendrites of neurons in the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus (nMLF) appear to receive direct visual information and send motor outputs to the neck and trunk muscles. This simple neural circuit may generate negative phototaxis. Through the larval period, the lateral region of the retina grows again to form the 'secondary' retina and the topographic retinotectal projection of the optic nerve is formed, and at the same time, the extra-ocular muscles progressively develop. During metamorphosis, horizontal and amacrine cells differentiate for the first time, and the optic tectum expands and becomes laminated. The adult lamprey then has a sophisticated visual system for image-forming and visual decision-making. In the adult lamprey, the thalamic pathway (retina-thalamus-cortex/pallium) also transmits visual stimuli. Because the primary, simple light-detecting circuit in larval lamprey shares functional and developmental similarities with that of protochordates (amphioxus and tunicates), the visual development of the lamprey provides information regarding the evolutionary transition of the vertebrate visual system from the protochordate-type to the vertebrate-type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi G Suzuki
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sten Grillner
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
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13
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Sugihara T, Nagata T, Mason B, Koyanagi M, Terakita A. Absorption Characteristics of Vertebrate Non-Visual Opsin, Opn3. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161215. [PMID: 27532629 PMCID: PMC4988782 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Most animals possess multiple opsins which sense light for visual and non-visual functions. Here, we show spectral characteristics of non-visual opsins, vertebrate Opn3s, which are widely distributed among vertebrates. We successfully expressed zebrafish Opn3 in mammalian cultured cells and measured its absorption spectrum spectroscopically. When incubated with 11-cis retinal, zebrafish Opn3 formed a blue-sensitive photopigment with an absorption maximum around 465 nm. The Opn3 converts to an all-trans retinal-bearing photoproduct with an absorption spectrum similar to the dark state following brief blue-light irradiation. The photoproduct experienced a remarkable blue-shift, with changes in position of the isosbestic point, during further irradiation. We then used a cAMP-dependent luciferase reporter assay to investigate light-dependent cAMP responses in cultured cells expressing zebrafish, pufferfish, anole and chicken Opn3. The wild type opsins did not produce responses, but cells expressing chimera mutants (WT Opn3s in which the third intracellular loops were replaced with the third intracellular loop of a Gs-coupled jellyfish opsin) displayed light-dependent changes in cAMP. The results suggest that Opn3 is capable of activating G protein(s) in a light-dependent manner. Finally, we used this assay to measure the relative wavelength-dependent response of cells expressing Opn3 chimeras to multiple quantally-matched stimuli. The inferred spectral sensitivity curve of zebrafish Opn3 accurately matched the measured absorption spectrum. We were unable to estimate the spectral sensitivity curve of mouse or anole Opn3, but, like zebrafish Opn3, the chicken and pufferfish Opn3-JiL3 chimeras also formed blue-sensitive pigments. These findings suggest that vertebrate Opn3s may form blue-sensitive G protein-coupled pigments. Further, we suggest that the method described here, combining a cAMP-dependent luciferase reporter assay with chimeric opsins possessing the third intracellular loop of jellyfish opsin, is a versatile approach for estimating absorption spectra of opsins with unknown signaling cascades or for which absorption spectra are difficult to obtain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Sugihara
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takashi Nagata
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan
| | - Benjamin Mason
- Department of Genetics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Mitsumasa Koyanagi
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
- * E-mail: (AT); (MK)
| | - Akihisa Terakita
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan
- * E-mail: (AT); (MK)
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Shirzad-Wasei N, DeGrip WJ. Heterologous expression of melanopsin: Present, problems and prospects. Prog Retin Eye Res 2016; 52:1-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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15
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Díaz NM, Morera LP, Guido ME. Melanopsin and the Non-visual Photochemistry in the Inner Retina of Vertebrates. Photochem Photobiol 2015; 92:29-44. [DOI: 10.1111/php.12545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás M. Díaz
- Departamento de Química Biológica-CIQUIBIC (CONICET); Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC); Córdoba Argentina
| | - Luis P. Morera
- Departamento de Química Biológica-CIQUIBIC (CONICET); Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC); Córdoba Argentina
| | - Mario E. Guido
- Departamento de Química Biológica-CIQUIBIC (CONICET); Facultad de Ciencias Químicas; Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC); Córdoba Argentina
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Kawano-Yamashita E, Koyanagi M, Wada S, Tsukamoto H, Nagata T, Terakita A. Activation of Transducin by Bistable Pigment Parapinopsin in the Pineal Organ of Lower Vertebrates. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141280. [PMID: 26492337 PMCID: PMC4619617 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pineal organs of lower vertebrates contain several kinds of photosensitive molecules, opsins that are suggested to be involved in different light-regulated physiological functions. We previously reported that parapinopsin is an ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive opsin that underlies hyperpolarization of the pineal photoreceptor cells of lower vertebrates to achieve pineal wavelength discrimination. Although, parapinopsin is phylogenetically close to vertebrate visual opsins, it exhibits a property similar to invertebrate visual opsins and melanopsin: the photoproduct of parapinopsin is stable and reverts to the original dark states, demonstrating the nature of bistable pigments. Therefore, it is of evolutionary interest to identify a phototransduction cascade driven by parapinopsin and to compare it with that in vertebrate visual cells. Here, we showed that parapinopsin is coupled to vertebrate visual G protein transducin in the pufferfish, zebrafish, and lamprey pineal organs. Biochemical analyses demonstrated that parapinopsins activated transducin in vitro in a light-dependent manner, similar to vertebrate visual opsins. Interestingly, transducin activation by parapinopsin was provoked and terminated by UV- and subsequent orange-lights irradiations, respectively, due to the bistable nature of parapinopsin, which could contribute to a wavelength-dependent control of a second messenger level in the cell as a unique optogenetic tool. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that parapinopsin was colocalized with Gt2 in the teleost, which possesses rod and cone types of transducin, Gt1, and Gt2. On the other hand, in the lamprey, which does not possess the Gt2 gene, in situ hybridization suggested that parapinopsin-expressing photoreceptor cells contained Gt1 type transducin GtS, indicating that lamprey parapinopsin may use GtS in place of Gt2. Because it is widely accepted that vertebrate visual opsins having a bleaching nature have evolved from non-bleaching opsins similar to parapinopsin, these results implied that ancestral bistable opsins might acquire coupling to the transducin-mediated cascade and achieve light-dependent hyperpolarizing response of the photoreceptor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emi Kawano-Yamashita
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558–8585, Japan
| | - Mitsumasa Koyanagi
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558–8585, Japan
- The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558–8585, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiji Wada
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558–8585, Japan
| | - Hisao Tsukamoto
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558–8585, Japan
| | - Takashi Nagata
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558–8585, Japan
| | - Akihisa Terakita
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558–8585, Japan
- The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558–8585, Japan
- * E-mail:
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