Characterization of the melanopsin photopigment.

黑视蛋白感光色素的表征。

• 批准号: 7105522
• 负责人: Marquis T. Walker
• 金额: $ 2.35万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-08-01 至 2007-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7105522
• 关键词: G protein; SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; animal tissue; circadian rhythms; molecular cloning; photochemistry; polymerase chain reaction; predoctoral investigator; retinal ganglion; rhodopsin; site directed mutagenesis; suprachiasmatic nucleus; synapses; tissue /cell culture; transfection; visual photoreceptor; visual photosensitivity; visual phototransduction; visual pigments; western blottings

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Light entrainment of the mammalian circadian clock requires input from the retina, which communicates with the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) via the retinohypo-thalamic tract (RHT). This connection is formed by the axonal projections of a small subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Surprisingly, rod and cone photoreceptors are not required; instead, RGCs that project to the SCN seem to function as autonomous circadian photoreceptors, and exhibit light responses independent of rod- and cone-driven synaptic input. These SCN-projecting RGCs also express melanopsin, a novel opsin-like protein, which has been proposed to be the elusive photopigment of the circadian system. The overall goal of this research is to characterize the biochemical and spectral properties of melanopsin to determine if it mediates the intrinsic light responses of SCN-projecting RGCs.

描述（由申请人提供）：哺乳动物生物钟的光诱导需要来自视网膜的输入，视网膜通过视网膜下丘脑束（RHT）与视交叉上核（SCN）通信。这种连接是由视网膜神经节细胞（RGC）的一小部分的轴突投射形成的。令人惊讶的是，不需要视杆和视锥光感受器;相反，投射到SCN的RGC似乎起自主昼夜光感受器的作用，并且表现出独立于视杆和视锥驱动的突触输入的光响应。这些SCN投射的RGCs还表达黑视蛋白，一种新的视蛋白样蛋白，已被提出是昼夜节律系统的难以捉摸的色素。本研究的总体目标是表征黑视蛋白的生化和光谱特性，以确定它是否介导SCN投射RGC的内在光响应。