Flow of color and polarization information in insect visual system

这项研究的最终目的是了解动物如何在大脑中处理感官信息。本研究的具体目的是：（1）从电生理学的角度揭示五种不同类型的光谱受体在凤蝶小网膜中的分布规律;（2）从解剖学的角度揭示这些受体在视中枢的投射规律;（3）通过克隆编码视色素的mRNAs，（4）通过原位杂交研究表达克隆mRNA的光感受器的分布模式。R1-4在小眼的远侧半部分具有微绒毛，而R5-8在近侧半部分具有微绒毛，形成一个感杆束。R9仅在基部贡献于感杆体。通过电生理学研究，我们发现R1和R2是紫外、紫色或蓝色受体，而R3和R4都是绿色受体。R5-9似乎是绿色或红色受体。 关于我们 色素编码mRNA（Rh 1 -3.它们都由379个氨基酸组成，其中72%是相同的。然后我们进行了原位杂交。探针在视网膜的10 μ m冷冻切片上杂交。每一种都有不同的杂交模式。Rh 1探针仅在远端层标记。Rh 2探针标记所有小眼远端和一些近端。Rh 3探针在近端标记了一些。标记模式与电生理测定的短波（UV、紫色或蓝色）、绿色和红色受体的分布相匹配。在近端层，绿色和红色受体似乎存在于单独的小眼中。绿色和红色类型的分布是相当随机的。虽然不同类型小眼的随机分布可能对色觉很重要，但我们仍然不知道它的生物学意义。在目前的研究过程中，我们发现了一些不同的现象，也表明了随机性。光感受器中的屏蔽颜料的颜色和UV下的荧光就是这样的例子。通过研究它们之间的关系，将阐明视网膜随机组织的功能。少

The ultimate goal of this study is to nuderstand how animals process sensory information in the brain. The specific aims are to reveal (1) the distribution pattern of five different types of spectral receptors in the ommatidial retinula of a butterfly Papilio xuthus electrophysiologically, (2) the projection pattern of these receptors in the visual center anatomically, (3) the primary structures of visual pigment molecules by cloning visual pigment-encoding mRNAs, and (4) the distribution pattern of the photoreceptors that express the cloned mRNAs by in situ hybridization.An ommatidium has nine photoreceptors (R1-9). R1-4 bear microvilli in the distal half of the ommatidium, whereas R5-8 have microvilli in the proximal half forming a rhabdom. R9 contributes to the rhabdom only at the base. By electrophysiology, we revealed that R1 and R2 are either UV,violet, or blue receptors, whereas R3 and R4 are all green type. R5-9 appeared to be green or red receptors.We then cloned three visual … More pigment-encoding mRNAs (Rh1-3. All consist of 379 amino acids, 72% of which are identical. We then carried out in situ hybridization. Probes were hybridized on 10um frozen sections of the retina. Each gave different hybridization pattern. The probe for Rh1 labeled only in the distal layr. The Rh2 probe labeled all ommatidia distally and some proximally. The Rh3 probe labeled some in proximally. The labeling patterns match with the electrophysiologically determined distribution of short-wavelength (UV,violet, or blue), green, and red receptors, respectively.In the proximal layr, green and red receptors appeared to exist in separate ommatidia. The distribution of the green and red types are rather random. Although the random distribution of different types of ommatidia is perhaps important for color vision, we still don't know its biological signficance. In the course of the present research we found some different phenomena that also indicate the randomness. Color of screening pigment in the photoreceptors and the fluorescence under UV are such examples. By studying the relationship between them, the function of the random organization of the retina will be elucidated. Less