Identification of vertebrate deep brain photoreceptors

Foster, Russell G.; Grace, Michael S.; Provencio, Ignacio; DeGrip, Willem J.; Garcia-Fernandez, Josè-M.

doi:10.1016/0149-7634(94)90009-4

Cited by 96 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The existence of deep brain photoreceptors has been demonstrated in a wide range of nonmammalian vertebrate species (Underwood and Groos, 1982;Foster et al, 1994;Pasqualetti et al, 2003). Evidence for the existence of deep brain photoreceptors in fish was first described in the European minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus, by von Frisch and Scharrer (von Frisch, 1911;Scharrer, 1928).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Encephalic photoreception and phototactic response in the troglobiont Somalian blind cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii

Tarttelin

Frigato

Bellingham

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYMany physiological and behavioural responses to changes in environmental lighting conditions are mediated by extraocular photoreceptors. Here we investigate encephalic photoreception in Phreatichthys andruzzii, a typical cave-dwelling fish showing an extreme phenotype with complete anophthalmy and a reduction in size of associated brain structures. We firstly identified two P. andruzzii photopigments, orthologues of rod opsin and exo-rod opsin. In vitro, both opsins serve as light-absorbing photopigments with  max around 500nm when reconstituted with an A 1 chromophore. When corrected for the summed absorption from the skin and skull, the spectral sensitivity profiles shifted to longer wavelengths (rod opsin: 521nm; exo-rod opsin: 520nm). We next explored the involvement of both opsins in the negative phototaxis reported for this species. A comparison of the spectral sensitivity of the photophobic response with the putative A 2 absorbance spectra corrected for skin/skull absorbance indicates that the A 2 versions of either or both of these pigments could explain the observed behavioural spectral sensitivity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Encephalic photoreception and phototactic response in the troglobiont Somalian blind cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii

Tarttelin

Frigato

Bellingham

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…In nonmammalian vertebrates, circadian photoreceptors have been localized to a variety of neural and nonneural tissues (Foster et al 1994;Whitmore et al 2000). In mammals, at least two gene products highly expressed in the retina and SCN have been implicated in photoreception (Miyamoto and Sancar 1998;Van Gelder et al 2003).…”

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confidence: 99%

Circadian Entrainment to Temperature, But Not Light, in the Isolated Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Herzog

Huckfeldt

2003

Journal of Neurophysiology

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. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the master pacemaker that drives circadian rhythms in mammalian physiology and behavior. The abilities to synchronize to daily cycles in the environment and to keep accurate time over a range of physiologic temperatures are two fundamental properties of circadian pacemakers. Recordings from a bioluminescent reporter (Per1-luc) of Period1 gene activity in rats showed that the cultured SCN entrained to daily, 1.5°C cycles of temperature, but did not synchronize to daily light cycles. Temperature entrainment developed by 1 day after birth. Light cycles failed to affect the isolated SCN of rats aged 2 to 339 days. Entrainment to a 3-h shift in the warm-cool cycle was possible in Ͻ3 days with 3°C cycles. Importantly, Per1-luc expression in vitro was similar to that seen in vivo where peak expression occurs approximately 1 h prior to the daily increase in temperature. In addition, the firing rate of individual mouse SCN neurons continued to express near 24-h rhythms from 24 -37°C. At lower temperatures, the percentage of rhythmic cells was reduced, but periodicity was temperature compensated. The results indicate that normal rhythms in brain temperature may serve to stabilize rhythmicity of the circadian system in vivo and that temperature compensation of this period is determined at the level of individual SCN cells.

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“…To date, however, which sites are critical and how they communicate among themselves remain unknown. Each of the 4 neural loci proposed to house DBP is in different brain structures, and 3 distinct photopigments have been discovered and thought involved in the reception of photoperiodic information: melanopsin/Opn4 (Chaurasia et al, 2005;Kang et al, 2010), neuropsin/Opn5 Ohuchi et al, 2012), and vertebrate ancient opsin (VAOpn; Foster et al, 1985Foster et al, , 1994Halford et al, 2009;Davies et al, 2012).…”

Section: (1) Sensory Photopigment System Involves Deep-brain Photorecmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, the eyes (Menaker et al, 1970;Harrison, 1972;Oishi and Lauber, 1973;Follett and Davies, 1975;McMillan et al, 1975;Wilson, 1989Wilson, , 1991, suprachiasmatic nucleus , and pineal gland (Harrison and Becker, 1969;Homma and Sakakibara, 1971;Siopes and Wilson, 1974;Gwinner, 1981;Wilson, 1991) have not been found to be critical components for transducing photoperiodic information into an appropriate behavioral and physiological response for successful reproduction at the proper season each year as has been found in mammals (Figure 1). The primary sensory system shown to detect photoperiodic cues is thought to be nonretinal, nonpineal deep brain photoreceptors (DBP; Benoit, 1964;Wilson, 1991;Foster et al, 1994;Vigh et al, 2002).…”

Section: (1) Sensory Photopigment System Involves Deep-brain Photorecmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several reviews have addressed photoperiodism in birds including its proposed mechanisms, regulation of key annual cycle events, and relevance to productivity and fitness of avian species Nicholls et al, 1988;Kuenzel, 1993;Foster et al, 1994;Wilson, 1997;Dawson et al, 2001;Sharp, 2005;Ono et al, 2009;Ubuka et al, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to focus on one aspect of the phenomenon, particularly its sensory component.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Exploring avian deep-brain photoreceptors and their role in activating the neuroendocrine regulation of gonadal development

Kuenzel¹,

Kang²,

Zhou³

2015

Poultry Science

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A large number of mammalian, avian, and other vertebrate species are photoperiodic and thereby display a defined time of year when their reproductive system is activated due to an ability to sense seasonal changes in photoperiod. Several reviews have addressed photoperiodism in birds including its proposed mechanisms, regulation of key annual cycle events, and relevance to productivity and fitness of avian species Nicholls et al., 1988;Kuenzel, 1993;Foster et al., 1994;Wilson, 1997;Dawson et al., 2001;Sharp, 2005;Ono et al., 2009;Ubuka et al., 2013). The purpose of this paper is to focus on one aspect of the phenomenon, particularly its sensory component. Decades ago it was proposed that vertebrates possess a photo-neuroendocrine system (PNES) composed of 2 components including (1) the photoperiodic axis (receptors and groups of neurons detecting light or changes in photoperiods, and (2) the traditional hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis (Scharrer, 1964). Scharrer's first component, the sensory system, will be addressed herein. A neural pathway is required to detect light information from the environment, integrate it and in some manner connect with the classical HPG axis to regulate reproductive function at the appropri- ABSTRACT In the eyes of mammals, specialized photoreceptors called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGC) have been identified that sense photoperiodic or daylight exposure, providing them over time with seasonal information. Detectors of photoperiods are critical in vertebrates, particularly for timing the onset of reproduction each year. In birds, the eyes do not appear to monitor photoperiodic information; rather, neurons within at least 4 different brain structures have been proposed to function in this capacity. Specialized neurons, called deep brain photoreceptors (DBP), have been found in the septum and 3 hypothalamic areas. Within each of the 4 brain loci, one or more of 3 unique photopigments, including melanopsin, neuropsin, and vertebrate ancient opsin, have been identified. An experiment was designed to characterize electrophysiological responses of neurons proposed to be avian DBP following light stimulation. A second study used immature chicks raised under shortday photoperiods and transferred to long day lengths. Gene expression of photopigments was then determined in 3 septal-hypothalamic regions. Preliminary electrophysiological data obtained from patch-clamping neurons in brain slices have shown that bipolar neurons in the lateral septal organ responded to photostimulation comparable with mammalian ipRGC, particularly by showing depolarization and a delayed, slow response to directed light stimulation. Utilizing real-time reversetranscription PCR, it was found that all 3 photopigments showed significantly increased gene expression in the septal-hypothalamic regions in chicks on the third day after being transferred to long-day photoperiods. Each dissected region contained structures previously proposed to have DBP. The highly significant increased ge...

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Identification of vertebrate deep brain photoreceptors

Cited by 96 publications

References 16 publications

Encephalic photoreception and phototactic response in the troglobiont Somalian blind cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii

Encephalic photoreception and phototactic response in the troglobiont Somalian blind cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii

Circadian Entrainment to Temperature, But Not Light, in the Isolated Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Exploring avian deep-brain photoreceptors and their role in activating the neuroendocrine regulation of gonadal development

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