Spectra of human L cones

Variations in the amino acid sequences of the human cone opsins give rise to spectrally variant subtypes of L and M cone pigments even in the population with normal color vision. In vitro mutagenesis studies have shown that a limited number of amino acid substitutions produce shifts in the wavelength sensitivity. Presented here are results comparing electrophysiological measurements of single human cones with the expressed cone pigment gene sequences from the same retina. In a sample of eight long-wavelength sensitive cone (L cone) spectra obtained from five donors the precise spectral sensitivities, measured in situ, of the two most commonly occurring spectral variants were determined. The peak sensitivity of the Lser180 cone was 563 nm while that of the Lala180 cone was 559 nm.