PMID- 10567724
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19991228
LR  - 20190621
IS  - 0014-5793 (Print)
IS  - 0014-5793 (Linking)
VI  - 461
IP  - 3
DP  - 1999 Nov 19
TI  - Spectral tuning of a circadian photopigment in a subterranean 'blind' mammal
      (Spalax ehrenbergi).
PG  - 343-7
AB  - The atrophied subcutaneous eyes of Spalax ehrenbergi (the blind mole rat) express
      a long wavelength sensitive (LWS) cone opsin. Our data provide strong evidence
      that this photopigment is spectrally tuned to enhance photon capture in the red
      light environment of the eye. Furthermore, novel mechanisms appear partially
      responsible for this sensory fine-tuning. These data support the hypothesis that 
      the LWS opsin of Spalax acts as a functional photopigment and that it is not a
      'residue' of the pre-subterranean visual system. As the eye of Spalax has only
      one known function, the entrainment of circadian rhythms to environmental light, 
      the LWS photopigment is implicated in this task. These results, together with our
      recent findings that rod and cone photopigments are not required for murine
      photoentrainment, suggest that multiple photopigments (classical and novel)
      mediate the effects of light on the mammalian circadian system.
FAU - David-Gray, Z K
AU  - David-Gray ZK
AD  - Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Department of Biology, Imperial College of
      Science, Technology and Medicine, Imperial College Road, London, UK.
      z.david-gray@ic.ac.uk
FAU - Cooper, H M
AU  - Cooper HM
FAU - Janssen, J W
AU  - Janssen JW
FAU - Nevo, E
AU  - Nevo E
FAU - Foster, R G
AU  - Foster RG
LA  - eng
SI  - GENBANK/AF139726
GR  - Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - FEBS Lett
JT  - FEBS letters
JID - 0155157
RN  - 0 (Rod Opsins)
SB  - IM
SB  - S
MH  - Amino Acid Sequence
MH  - Animals
MH  - Atrophy
MH  - Blindness
MH  - Circadian Rhythm/physiology/*radiation effects
MH  - Environment
MH  - Evolution, Molecular
MH  - Humans
MH  - Light
MH  - Mice
MH  - Models, Molecular
MH  - Mole Rats/*physiology
MH  - Molecular Sequence Data
MH  - Retina/*physiology
MH  - Rod Opsins/chemistry/genetics/*physiology/radiation effects
MH  - Sequence Alignment
MH  - Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
MH  - Species Specificity
EDAT- 1999/11/24 00:00
MHDA- 1999/11/24 00:01
CRDT- 1999/11/24 00:00
PHST- 1999/11/24 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1999/11/24 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1999/11/24 00:00 [entrez]
AID - S0014-5793(99)01455-6 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01455-6 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - FEBS Lett. 1999 Nov 19;461(3):343-7. doi: 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01455-6.