VISUAL TRANSDUCTION IN RETINAL PHOTORECEPTORS

拟议研究的长期目标是详细了解 脊椎动物视觉传导的细胞机制 视网膜光感受器。具体目标是： I)更多地了解细胞内钙离子的调节 光感受器中的钠-钙交换器，看看是否有 杆和锥体在这方面的差异可能解释了它们的一些 光敏感度和响应动力学的差异， 二)更多地了解棒材和棒材的光敏电导 圆锥体和 III)了解更多关于光激活的功能成分 环状GMP反应级联反应(即GTP结合蛋白， 磷酸二酯酶和48K蛋白)，并比较 与这些成分有关的杆状和圆锥状。 对视觉传导机制的详细了解对于 了解影响光感受器的各种疾病状态，并 为他们设计补救措施。 该方法将主要涉及电生理记录， 同时采用吸管和膜片钳技术。

The long-term objective of the proposed research is to understand in detail the cellular mechanisms underlying visual transduction in vertebrate retinal photoreceptors. The specific aims are: i) to understand more about the regulation of intracellular calcium by the sodium-calcium exchanger in the photoreceptors, and to see if any difference in this regard between rods and cones may explain some of their differences in light sensitivity and response kinetics, ii) to learn more about the light-sensitive conductance in both rods and cones, and iii) to learn more about the functional constituents in the light-activated cyclic GMP reaction cascade (i.e. GTP-binding protein, the phosphodiesterase and the 48K protein), and to make a comparison between rods and cones concerning these constituents. A detailed knowledge of the visual transduction mechanism is important for understanding various disease states which affect photoreceptors, and for devising remedies for them. The methodology will involve mainly electrophysiological recordings, employing both suction-pipet and patch-clamp techniques.