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Related Concept Videos

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

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...
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...
Channel Rhodopsins01:11

Channel Rhodopsins

Most organisms use photoreceptors to sense and respond to light. Examples of photoreceptors include bacteriorhodopsins and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria, phytochromes in plants, and rhodopsins in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebral retina. The light-sensitive property of these receptors is because of the bound chromophores, such as bilin in the phytochromes and retinal in the rhodopsins.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...

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A Method of Permeabilization of Drosophila Embryos for Assays of Small Molecule Activity
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Methylmercury targets photoreceptor outer segments.

Malgorzata Korbas1, Barry Lai, Stefan Vogt

  • 1Canadian Light Source Inc. , 44 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2V3, Canada.

ACS Chemical Biology
|August 21, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Methylmercury targets zebrafish eye tissues, specifically photoreceptors and lens cells, not just the visual cortex. This finding suggests direct damage to these eye structures may cause visual disturbances from methylmercury exposure.

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Published on: December 12, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Toxicology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Organometallic methylmercury compounds cause widespread low-level human exposure via seafood consumption.
  • High-level methylmercury exposure targets the nervous system, leading to visual disturbances and blindness, previously attributed to visual cortex damage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the precise localization of methylmercury within the eye tissues of zebrafish larvae at high resolution.
  • To elucidate the cellular targets of methylmercury in the visual system.

Main Methods:

  • High-resolution X-ray fluorescence imaging with beam sizes of 500 × 500 nm² and 250 × 250 nm².
  • Analysis of mercury and sulfur distribution in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larval eye sections.

Main Results:

  • Methylmercury was specifically localized to the outer segments of photoreceptor cells in the retina and pineal gland.
  • Methylmercury distribution correlated with sulfur in photoreceptors, suggesting binding to protein cysteine residues.
  • In the lens, methylmercury accumulated in secondary fiber cells, distinct from sulfur distribution.

Conclusions:

  • Methylmercury directly damages photoreceptor cells and lens structures involved in visual perception.
  • Visual disruption from methylmercury exposure likely results from direct ocular damage, in addition to previously known visual cortex injury.