Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The HOST assay: an automated video-based evaluation of mosquito attraction to thermal infrared.

Nature protocols·2026

Same author

Gustatory avoidance of fatty acids by <i>Aedes aegypti</i> depends on an arthropod-specific TRP channel.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

The sensory arsenal mosquitoes use to find us.

Trends in parasitology·2025

Same author

Control of odor sensation by light and cryptochrome in the <i>Drosophila</i> antenna.

iScience·2025

Same author

Cholesterol taste avoidance in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>.

eLife·2025

Same author

Visual threat avoidance while host seeking by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

Cell reports·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Dissection and Immunohistochemistry of Larval, Pupal and Adult Drosophila Retinas

Dissection and Immunohistochemistry of Larval, Pupal and Adult Drosophila Retinas

Published on: November 14, 2012

Drosophila visual transduction.

Craig Montell¹

¹Departments of Biological Chemistry and Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. cmontell@jhmi.edu

Trends in Neurosciences

|April 14, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Fruit fly vision uses a pathway similar to mammalian cells, differing from rods and cones. Recent research reveals a visual cycle and mechanisms for light response in fly photoreceptors.

More Related Videos

Electrophysiological Method for Recording Intracellular Voltage Responses of Drosophila Photoreceptors and Interneurons to Light Stimuli In Vivo

Electrophysiological Method for Recording Intracellular Voltage Responses of Drosophila Photoreceptors and Interneurons to Light Stimuli In Vivo

Published on: June 19, 2016

Electrophysiological Methods for Measuring Photopigment Levels in Drosophila Photoreceptors

Electrophysiological Methods for Measuring Photopigment Levels in Drosophila Photoreceptors

Published on: June 2, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Dissection and Immunohistochemistry of Larval, Pupal and Adult Drosophila Retinas

Dissection and Immunohistochemistry of Larval, Pupal and Adult Drosophila Retinas

Published on: November 14, 2012

Electrophysiological Method for Recording Intracellular Voltage Responses of Drosophila Photoreceptors and Interneurons to Light Stimuli In Vivo

Electrophysiological Method for Recording Intracellular Voltage Responses of Drosophila Photoreceptors and Interneurons to Light Stimuli In Vivo

Published on: June 19, 2016

Electrophysiological Methods for Measuring Photopigment Levels in Drosophila Photoreceptors

Electrophysiological Methods for Measuring Photopigment Levels in Drosophila Photoreceptors

Published on: June 2, 2022

Area of Science:

* Neuroscience and Vision Science
* Comparative Biology of Sensory Systems

Background:

* The Drosophila compound eye utilizes a visual transduction pathway involving rhodopsin, phospholipase C (PLC), and transient receptor potential (TRP) channels.
* This signaling cascade is distinct from phototransduction in mammalian rods and cones.
* Remarkably, the fly pathway shares similarities with signaling in mammalian intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs).

Purpose of the Study:

* To review recent advancements in the study of the Drosophila visual system.
* To highlight new findings on the visual cycle in flies.
* To explore the molecular machinery and mechanisms underlying light response generation in photoreceptor cells.

Main Methods:

* Review of current literature on Drosophila visual transduction.
* Analysis of recent experimental findings in fly eye research.
* Comparative analysis of visual signaling pathways across species.

Main Results:

* Discovery of a visual cycle in the fruit fly.
* Elucidation of key components and mechanisms in the fly's phototransduction cascade.
* Identification of similarities between fly and mammalian ipRGC signaling.

Conclusions:

* The Drosophila visual system offers a valuable model for understanding fundamental principles of phototransduction.
* Recent advances provide deeper insights into the molecular basis of light detection.
* Comparative studies highlight conserved and divergent strategies in visual signaling across species.