Advanced optics in a jellyfish eye

Nilsson, Dan-Eric; Gislén, Lars; Coates, Melissa M.; Skogh, Charlotta; Garm, Anders

doi:10.1038/nature03484

Cited by 227 publications

(174 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Therefore, we concluded that the box jellyfish opsin forms a photosensitive pigment with similar characteristics in photoisomerization profile and with differences in the photoproduct property, which is involved in the G protein activation, to the visual pigments of higher animals, such as insects, molluscs, and vertebrates. Each rhopalium of the box jellyfish contains two highly sophisticated lens eyes, upper small lens eye and lower large lens eye, in addition to two pairs of simple pit eyes (14,16,23) (Fig. S1B).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Jellyfish vision starts with cAMP signaling mediated by opsin-G _s cascade

Koyanagi

Takano²,

Tsukamoto³

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

147

173

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Light sensing starts with phototransduction in photoreceptor cells. The phototransduction cascade has diverged in different species, such as those mediated by transducin in vertebrate rods and cones, by Gq-type G protein in insect and molluscan rhabdomeric-type visual cells and vertebrate photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, and by Go-type G protein in scallop ciliary-type visual cells. Here, we investigated the phototransduction cascade of a prebilaterian box jellyfish, the most basal animal having eyes containing lens and ciliary-type visual cells similar to vertebrate eyes, to examine the similarity at the molecular level and to obtain an implication of the origin of the vertebrate phototransduction cascade. We showed that the opsin-based pigment functions as a green-sensitive visual pigment and triggers the Gs-type G protein-mediated phototransduction cascade in the ciliary-type visual cells of the box jellyfish lens eyes. We also demonstrated the light-dependent cAMP increase in the jellyfish visual cells and HEK293S cells expressing the jellyfish opsin. The first identified prebilaterian cascade was distinct from known phototransduction cascades but exhibited significant partial similarity with those in vertebrate and molluscan ciliary-type visual cells, because all involved cyclic nucleotide signaling. These similarities imply a monophyletic origin of ciliary phototransduction cascades distributed from prebilaterian to vertebrate.M any animals sense light signals for vision and nonvisual photoreceptions. Light is captured by an opsin-based photopigment in a photoreceptor cell and leads to cellular light response through a G protein-mediated phototransduction cascade. Three kinds of phototransduction cascades have been found thus far (1). In vertebrate rods and cones, the light is absorbed by visual pigment, and the information is relayed via transducin (G t ) (2), causing the decrease of intracellular cGMP concentration to close cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (3, 4). In rhabdomeric-type visual cells of higher invertebrates, such as arthropods and molluscans, G q -type G protein passes the light information to the phosphoinositol signaling cascade (5-9), which is also found in vertebrate photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (10). In addition, we reported that the G o -type G proteinmediated phototransduction cascade (11) involving in the cGMP increase as a second messenger exists in scallop ciliary visual cells (12). Recently, the G o -mediated phototransduction cascade was also found in the ciliary photoreceptor cells of lizard parietal eyes (13). These varied phototransduction cascades are, respectively, driven by particular opsins, which belong to phylogenetically distinct opsin subfamilies (1). Because vision has evolved with phototransduction cascades and has diverged in different species, the opsin-based pigment and signaling cascade of lower invertebrates, such as prebilaterian animals, is important to understand the evolution of phototransduction, especially the origin of vertebrate vision.The...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Jellyfish vision starts with cAMP signaling mediated by opsin-G _s cascade

Koyanagi

Takano²,

Tsukamoto³

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

147

173

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“…Because the visual fields of individual eyes of the rhopalium partly overlap, Tripedalia (like other Cubomedusae) has an almost complete view of its surroundings. The lenscontaining Tripedalia eyes have sophisticated visual optics as do advanced bilaterian phyla (11).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assembly of the cnidarian camera-type eye from vertebrate-like components

Kozmík

Růžičková

Jonasova

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

117

113

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Animal eyes are morphologically diverse. Their assembly, however, always relies on the same basic principle, i.e., photoreceptors located in the vicinity of dark shielding pigment. Cnidaria as the likely sister group to the Bilateria are the earliest branching phylum with a well developed visual system. Here, we show that cameratype eyes of the cubozoan jellyfish, Tripedalia cystophora, use genetic building blocks typical of vertebrate eyes, namely, a ciliary phototransduction cascade and melanogenic pathway. Our findings indicative of parallelism provide an insight into eye evolution. Combined, the available data favor the possibility that vertebrate and cubozoan eyes arose by independent recruitment of orthologous genes during evolution.T he assembly of diverse animal eyes requires two fundamental building blocks, photoreceptors and dark shielding pigment. The function of photoreceptors is to convert light (stream of photons) into intracellular signaling. The photoreceptor cells (PRCs) are classified into two distinct types: rhabdomeric, characteristic of vision in invertebrate eyes; and ciliary, characteristic of vision in vertebrate eyes (1). In both ciliary and rhabdomeric PRCs, the seven-transmembrane receptor (opsin) associates with retinal to constitute a functional photosensitive pigment. Each photoreceptor type uses a separate phototransduction cascade. Rhabdomeric photoreceptors employ r-opsins and a phospholipase C cascade, whereas ciliary photoreceptors use c-opsins and a phosphodiesterase (PDE) cascade (2, 3). In general, the dark pigment reduces photon scatter and orients the direction optimally sensitive to light. The biochemical nature of the dark pigment appears more diverse than the phototransduction cascades used by the PRCs. Vertebrate eyes use melanin as their exclusive dark pigment. However, among invertebrates, pterins constitute the eye pigment in the polychaete Platynereis dumerilii (4), pterins and ommochromes are accumulated in eyes of Drosophila (5), and melanin is found rarely such as in the inverse cup-like eyes of the planarian, Dugesia (6).Cnidaria, the likely sister group to the Bilateria, constitute the earliest branching phylum containing a well developed visual system. For example, Cubozoa (known as ''box jellyfish'') have camera-type eyes with cornea, lens, and retina; unexpectedly, the cubozoan retina has ciliated PRCs that are typical for vertebrate eyes (7-9). Cubomedusae are active swimmers that are able to make directional changes in response to visual stimuli (10). The cubozoan jellyfish, Tripedalia cystophora (Fig. 1A), has four sensory structures called rhopalia that are equally spaced around the bell. In addition to two camera-type lens containing eyes at right angles to one another, each rhopalium has two pit-shaped and two slit-shaped pigment cup eyes (Fig. 1B). Thus, with six eyes located on each rhopalium, Tripedalia has 24 eyes altogether. Because the visual fields of individual eyes of the rhopalium partly overlap, Tripedalia (like other Cubomedusae) has an al...

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“…For organisms with the simplest types of nervous systems, we can observe that the integration of different sensory channels is kept to a minimum, as required for instant motor control and action selection. An example is Cubozoans or box jelly fishes, which possess 24 eyes of 4 different types, where each type presumably serves a different adaptive function (Nilsson et al 2005;Jacobs et al 2007). Computationally more thorough degrees of informational or conceptual integration in organisms with multiple sets of eyes can be found at higher evolutionary levels of neural organisation (e.g.…”

Section: Biological Plausibility Of Conceptual Formsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intrinsic Multiperspectivity: Conceptual Forms and the Functional Architecture of the Perceptual System

Mausfeld

2011

Interdisciplinary Anthropology

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It is a characteristic feature of our mental make-up that the same perceptual input situation can simultaneously elicit conflicting mental perspectives. This ability pervades our perceptual and cognitive domains. Striking examples are the dual character of pictures in picture perception, pretend play, or the ability to employ metaphors and allegories. I argue that traditional approaches, beyond being inadequate on principle grounds, are theoretically ill equipped to deal with these achievements. I then outline a theoretical perspective that has emerged from a theoretical convergence of perceptual psychology, ethology, linguistics, and developmental research. On the basis of this framework, I argue that corresponding achievements are brought forth by a specific type of functional architecture whose core features are as follows: (1) a perceptual system that is biologically furnished with a rich system of conceptual forms, (2) a triggering relation between the sensory input and conceptual forms by which the same sensory input can be exploited by different types or systems of conceptual forms, and (3) computational principles for handling semantically underspecified conceptual forms. Characteristic features of the proposed theoretical framework are pointed out using the Heider-Simmel phenomenon as an example.

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Advanced optics in a jellyfish eye

Cited by 227 publications

References 22 publications

Jellyfish vision starts with cAMP signaling mediated by opsin-G _s cascade

Jellyfish vision starts with cAMP signaling mediated by opsin-G _s cascade

Assembly of the cnidarian camera-type eye from vertebrate-like components

Intrinsic Multiperspectivity: Conceptual Forms and the Functional Architecture of the Perceptual System

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Advanced optics in a jellyfish eye

Cited by 227 publications

References 22 publications

Jellyfish vision starts with cAMP signaling mediated by opsin-G s cascade

Jellyfish vision starts with cAMP signaling mediated by opsin-G s cascade

Assembly of the cnidarian camera-type eye from vertebrate-like components

Intrinsic Multiperspectivity: Conceptual Forms and the Functional Architecture of the Perceptual System

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Jellyfish vision starts with cAMP signaling mediated by opsin-G _s cascade

Jellyfish vision starts with cAMP signaling mediated by opsin-G _s cascade