Deactivation Mechanisms of Rod Phototransduction

项目摘要 视网膜视杆细胞和视锥细胞介导了视觉的基本第一步， 信号光强度及其调制。虽然最初的生化步骤， 光在光感受器的外节中转化为电信号是很好理解的， 关于外节电流是如何通过电压敏感的电流转换的， 电导和影响的适应和昼夜调节体内。工作 提出在这个应用程序将研究感光生理学的活眼和 调节感光器生理以影响视觉敏感性的机制， 动力学，并减轻光感受器应激。主要使用体外和体内的组合 在体电生理学方法中，将研究三个目标：1。确定的作用 Kv2.1通道在杆中。2.定义限制感光细胞敏感性的机制， 体内动力学3.确定光感受器的特性是如何被昼夜节律调节的 时钟

Project Summary Retinal rod and cone photoreceptor cells mediate the essential first steps in vision by signaling light intensity and its modulation. Although the initial biochemical steps that transduce light into electrical signals in the outer segments of photoreceptors are well understood, much less is known about how outer segment currents are transformed by voltage-sensitive conductances and influenced by adaptation and circadian regulation in vivo. The work proposed in this application will investigate photoreceptor physiology the living eye and the mechanisms by which photoreceptor physiology is modulated to influence visual sensitivity and kinetics, and to mitigate photoreceptor stress. Using primarily a combination of ex vivo and in vivo electrophysiological approaches, three aims will be investigated: 1. Determine the role of Kv2.1 channels in rods. 2. Define the mechanisms that constrain photoreceptor sensitivity and kinetics in vivo. 3. Determine how photoreceptor properties are modulated by the circadian clock.