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Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Electrophysiological Methods for Measuring Photopigment Levels in Drosophila Photoreceptors
Published on: June 2, 2022
Photoreceptor cells display a daily rhythm in the orphan receptor Esrrβ
Stefanie Kunst1, Tanja Wolloscheck2, Markus Grether2
1Institute of Functional and Clinical Anatomy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany ; Department of Cell and Matrix Biology, Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
Purpose:
Nuclear orphan receptors are critical for the development and long-term survival of photoreceptor cells. In the present study, the expression of the nuclear orphan receptor Esrrβ--a transcriptional regulator of energy metabolism that protects rod photoreceptors from dystrophy--was tested under daily regulation in the retina and photoreceptor cells.
Methods:
The daily transcript and protein amount profiles were recorded in preparations of the whole retina and microdissected photoreceptor cells using quantitative PCR (qPCR) and western blot analysis.
Results:
Esrrβ displayed a daily rhythm with elevated values at night in the whole retina and enriched photoreceptor cells. Daily regulation of Esrrβ mRNA depended on light input but not on melatonin, and evoked a corresponding rhythm in the Esrrβ protein.
Conclusions:
The data presented in this study indicate that daily regulation of Esrrβ in photoreceptor cells may contribute to their adaptation to 24-h changes in metabolic demands.
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