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Zebrafish ultraviolet visual pigment: absorption spectrum, sequence, and localization

J Robinson1, E A Schmitt, F I Hárosi

  • 1Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 1, 1993
PubMed
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Researchers identified a novel UV-sensitive visual pigment gene in zebrafish. This gene encodes a pigment with unique structural features, potentially explaining its UV sensitivity.

Area of Science:

  • * Molecular Biology
  • * Vision Science
  • * Genetics

Background:

  • * UV-sensitive photoreceptors are known in vertebrates, but the genes for UV-sensitive pigments remain elusive.
  • * Short single cone cells in zebrafish retina are UV-sensitive, with a peak sensitivity around 360 nm.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To isolate and characterize the gene encoding the UV-sensitive pigment in zebrafish.
  • * To understand the molecular basis of UV vision in vertebrates.

Main Methods:

  • * Sequencing of a cDNA clone that hybridizes to short single cone cells in zebrafish retina.
  • * Amino acid sequence analysis and comparison with known visual pigments.

Main Results:

  • * A cDNA clone was sequenced, revealing a gene encoding a UV-sensitive visual pigment (lambda max ~360 nm) in zebrafish.

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  • * The deduced amino acid sequence showed higher homology (up to 89%) to rod pigment rhodopsin than to other cone pigments (35-83%).
  • * A unique lysine residue at position 126 was identified, distinguishing it from other cone pigments and potentially conferring UV sensitivity.

    • Conclusions:

    • * The first vertebrate UV-sensitive visual pigment gene has been isolated and characterized.
    • * The unique amino acid substitution at position 126 is proposed as the molecular basis for the pigment's UV sensitivity.
    • * This finding advances the understanding of visual pigment evolution and the mechanisms of UV vision.