Morphology and spectral absorption characteristics of retinal photoreceptors in the southern hemisphere lamprey (Geotria australis)

S.P. Collin; N.S. Hart; J. Shand; I.C. Potter

doi:10.1017/S0952523803202030

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Morphology and spectral absorption characteristics of retinal photoreceptors in the southern hemisphere lamprey (Geotria australis)

Journal article

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Morphology and spectral absorption characteristics of retinal photoreceptors in the southern hemisphere lamprey (Geotria australis)

S.P. Collin, N.S. Hart, J. Shand and I.C. Potter

Visual Neuroscience, Vol.20(2), pp.119-130

2003

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952523803202030

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Abstract

The morphology and spectral absorption characteristics of the retinal photoreceptors in the southern hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis (Agnatha) were studied using light and electron microscopy and microspectrophotometry. The retinae of both downstream and upstream migrants of Geotria contained two types of cone photoreceptor and one type of rod photoreceptor. Visual pigments contained in the outer segments of these three photoreceptor types had absorbance spectra typical of porphyropsins and with wavelengths of maximum absorbance (downstream/ upstream) at 610/616 nm (long-wavelength-sensitive cone, LWS), 515/515 nm (medium-wavelength-sensitive cone, MWS), and 506/500 nm (medium-wavelength-sensitive rod). A “yellow” photostable pigment was present in the myoid region of all three types of photoreceptor in the downstream migrant. The same short-wavelength-absorbing pigment, which prevents photostimulation of the beta band of the visual pigment in the outer segment, was present in the rods and LWS cones of the upstream migrant, but was replaced by a large transparent ellipsosome in the MWS cones. Using microspectrophotometric and anatomical data, the quantal spectral sensitivity of each photoreceptor type was calculated. Our results provide the first evidence of a jawless vertebrate, represented today solely by the lampreys and hagfishes, with two morphologically and physiologically distinct types of cone photoreceptors, in addition to a rod-like photoreceptor containing a colored filter (a cone-like characteristic). In contrast, all other lampreys studied thus far have either (1) one type of cone and one type of rod, or (2) a single type of rod-like photoreceptor.

Details

Title: Morphology and spectral absorption characteristics of retinal photoreceptors in the southern hemisphere lamprey (Geotria australis)
Authors/Creators: S.P. Collin (Author/Creator) - The University of Queensland
N.S. Hart (Author/Creator) - The University of Queensland
J. Shand (Author/Creator) - School of Animal Biology
I.C. Potter (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
Publication Details: Visual Neuroscience, Vol.20(2), pp.119-130
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Identifiers: 991005544261407891
Copyright: © 2003 Cambridge University Press
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Citation topics: 1 Clinical & Life Sciences; 1.36 Ophthalmology; 1.36.212 Genetic Retinopathies
Web Of Science research areas: Neurosciences; Ophthalmology
ESI research areas: Neuroscience & Behavior