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Aquatic organisms such as cichlids, coelacanths, seals, and cetaceans are active in UV–blue color environments, but many of them mysteriously lost their abilities to detect these colors. The loss of these functions is a consequence of the pseudogenization of their short wavelength-sensitive (SWS1) opsin genes without gene duplication. We show that the SWS1 gene (Bden S1 ψ) of the deep-sea...
At present, molecular bases of spectral tuning in rhodopsin-like (RH2) pigments are not well understood. Here, we have constructed the RH2 pigments of nocturnal Tokay gecko (Gekko gekko) and diurnal American chameleon (Anolis carolinensis) as well as chimeras between them. The RH2 pigments of the gecko and chameleon reconstituted with 11-cis-retinal had the wavelengths of maximal absorption (λ ...
The molecular bases of spectral tuning in the UV-, violet-, and blue-sensitive pigments are not well understood. Using the in vitro assay, here we show that the SWS1, SWS2-A, and SWS2-B pigments of bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei) have the wavelengths of maximal absorption (λ max 's) of 354, 448, and 397 nm, respectively. The spectral difference between the SWS2-A and SWS2-B pigments is...
Many vertebrate species use ultraviolet (UV) vision for such behaviors as mating, foraging, and communication. UV vision is mediated by UV-sensitive visual pigments, which have the wavelengths of maximal absorption (λ max ) at ∼360 nm, whereas violet (or blue) vision is mediated by orthologous pigments with λ max values of 390–440 nm. It is widely believed that amino acids in transmembrane...
Using site-directed mutagenesis and multiple regression analysis, we have studied the molecular genetics and evolution of short wavelength-sensitive (SWS2) pigments in vertebrates. These analyses suggest that the SWS2 pigment in the vertebrate ancestor had the wavelength of maximum absorption (λ max ) of ~440 nm and that various λ max 's of the contemporary SWS2...
Visual systems of vertebrates exhibit a striking level of diversity, reflecting their adaptive responses to various color environments. The photosensitive molecules, visual pigments, can be synthesized in vitro and their absorption spectra can be determined. Comparing the amino acid sequences and absorption spectra of various visual pigments, we can identify amino acid changes that have modified the...
We have isolated a full-length cDNA encoding a putative ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive visual pigment of the Tokay gecko (Gekko gekko). This clone has 57 and 59% sequence similarities to the gecko RH2 and MWS pigment genes, respectively, but it shows 87% similarity to the UV pigment gene of the American chameleon (Anolis carolinensis). The evolutionary rates of amino acid replacement are significantly...
The genetic basis of red-green color vision of common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is not fully understood. Here, we have cloned and characterized the three alleles at a locus that encode the long to middle wavelength-sensitive (LWS/MWS) visual pigments of this species. Using in situ hybridization, we localized this locus to the telomeric region of the long arm of X chromosome. The three visual pigments...
We have PCR amplified and sequenced the rhodopsin (RH1) and evolutionarily closely related RH2 genes of the Indonesian coelacanth, now referred to as Latimeria menadoensis. When the RH1 and RH2 coding sequences are constructed, expressed in cultured cells, and reconstituted with 11-cis-retinal, the resulting visual pigments have wavelengths of maximal absorption (λmax) of 485 and 479 nm, respectively...
We have isolated and sequenced the RH1 Tg , RH2 Tg , SWS2 Tg , and LWS Tg opsin cDNAs from zebra finch retinas. Upon binding to 11-cis-retinal, these opsins regenerate the corresponding photosensitive molecules, visual pigments. The absorption spectra of visual pigments have a broad bell shape, with the peak being called λ max ...
We have cloned and sequenced the red opsin gene, r Ch , of goat (Capra hircus). When r Ch is expressed in cultured cells and reconstituted with 11-cis retinal, the resulting visual pigment has a wavelength of maximal absorption (λmax) of 553nm. This result and the deduced aa sequence of the goat red opsin suggest that the λmax values of the red pigments of goat and human...
The chicken gene encoding pineal gland-specific opsin (P-opsin) has been previously characterized. We report here the orthologous pigeon (Columba livia) P-opsin gene. The deduced pigeon P-opsin lacks a potential N-glycosylation site in the N-terminus, but has multiple phosphorylation sites in the C-terminus, which are opposite from the characteristics of the chicken P-opsin.
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