Invertebrate Rhodopsin Function

无脊椎动物视紫红质功能

• 批准号: 0449367
• 负责人: Steven Britt
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Denver
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-03-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0449367&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Invertebrate; Rhodopsin; Function

Award AbstractThe overall aim of this project is to better understand color vision in insects and other invertebrate animals. Insects use color as an important cue in navigation, avoiding predators and identifying food sources. Dr. Britt will study how different forms of the visual pigment rhodopsin are tuned to different colors of light. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system, Dr. Britt's laboratory will identify specific amino acids within the rhodopsin protein that are responsible for differences in color sensitivity and that play a role in activating the protein when light is absorbed. Drosophila melanogaster utilizes forms of rhodopsin that have unique color properties, and these visual pigments can be studied using well-developed molecular biological, genetic and physiological methods. In addition, this experimental system provides the opportunity to examine diverse invertebrate visual pigments, such as those from the butterfly Papilio glaucus. Dr Britt will conduct comparative experiments between fruit flies and butterflies with the aim of identifying fundamental principles underlying the similarities and differences in how these animals distinguish between different colors of light. Dr. Britt's work may ultimately provide important insight into how light influences insect behavior, and thus a means to manipulate insect behavior. Dr. Britt is also an active mentor for students of underrepresented minorities and involves them in his research.

这个项目的总体目标是更好地了解昆虫和其他无脊椎动物的色觉。昆虫使用颜色作为导航的重要线索，避免捕食者和识别食物来源。布里特博士将研究不同形式的视色素视紫红质是如何适应不同颜色的光的。利用果蝇Drosophila melanogaster作为模型系统，布里特博士的实验室将确定视紫红质蛋白中的特定氨基酸，这些氨基酸负责颜色敏感性的差异，并在吸收光线时激活蛋白质。黑腹果蝇利用具有独特颜色特性的视紫红质形式，并且可以使用成熟的分子生物学、遗传学和生理学方法来研究这些视色素。此外，该实验系统提供了检查各种无脊椎动物视色素的机会，例如来自蝴蝶凤蝶的视色素。布里特博士将在果蝇和蝴蝶之间进行比较实验，目的是确定这些动物如何区分不同颜色的光的相似性和差异性的基本原则。布里特博士的工作最终可能会提供重要的洞察力，了解光线如何影响昆虫的行为，从而提供一种操纵昆虫行为的手段。 布里特博士也是代表性不足的少数民族学生的积极导师，并让他们参与他的研究。