Development of molecular techniques for the study of retinal development in common sole

视网膜光感受器是一种特殊的神经元，它捕捉光线开始视觉过程。光感受器含有视觉色素蛋白(称为视蛋白)，使它们对特定颜色的光敏感，如紫外线、蓝色、绿色和红色。最近的研究表明，光感受器可以改变它们产生的视蛋白的类型，以响应周围的光光谱，从而调节动物视觉的许多方面，包括它对颜色的感知。在单个光感受器水平上发生的视蛋白产生(表达)的变化是未知的。这项研究将开发分子工具来测量普通比目鱼视网膜光感受器中视蛋白表达的变化，比目鱼用于视觉研究和水产养殖。基于对初步结果的分析，我们将起草一项研究计划，以研究可遗传和环境(即光)诱导的光感受器在视蛋白表达和形态上的可塑性。我们的初步研究将为普通比目鱼在发育过程中的视觉能力提供信息，然后可以用于设计饲料和饲养光环境，以提高普通比目鱼和其他比目鱼在水产养殖条件下的幼体存活率。

Retinal photoreceptors are specialized neurons that capture light to begin the process of vision. Photoreceptors house visual pigment proteins (termed opsins) that given them sensitivity to specific colours of light such as ultraviolet, blue, green and red. Recent studies have indicated that photoreceptors may change the type of opsin that they produce in response to the ambient spectrum of light, thereby modulating many aspects of the animal's vision including its perception of colour. The changes that occur in opsin production (expression) at the level of individual photoreceptors are unknown. This research will develop the molecular tools to measure changes in opsin expression in the retinal photoreceptors of the common sole, a flatfish used in vision research and aquaculture. Based on the analysis of preliminary results, we will draft a research plan to investigate heritable and environmentally (i.e., light)-induced photoreceptor plasticity in opsin expression and morphology. Our preliminary research will inform on visual capabilities of the common sole during development, which could then be used to design feed and rearing light environments to improve larval survival of the common sole and other flatfishes in aquaculture conditions.