| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Bittencourt, Guido Barbieri
[1]
;
Hauzman, Einat
[2, 1]
;
Oliveira Bonci, Daniela Maria
[2, 1]
;
Ventura, Dora Fix
[2, 1]
Total Authors: 4
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Psicol, Dept Psicol Expt, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Hosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Inst Ensino & Pesquisa, Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 2
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | VISION RESEARCH; v. 158, p. 72-77, MAY 2019. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 1 |
| Abstract | |
Snakes inhabit a great variety of habitats, whose spectral quality of light may vary a lot and influence specific adaptations of their visual system. In this study, we investigated the genetics of the visual opsins and the morphology of retinal photoreceptors, of two nocturnal snakes from the Viperidae family, Bothrops jararaca and Crotalus durissus terrificus, which inhabit preferentially the Atlantic Rain Forest and the Brazilian Savannah, respectively. Total RNA was extracted from homogenized retinas and converted to cDNA. The opsin genes expressed in snake retinas, LWS, RH1, and SWS1, were amplified by polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) and sequenced. The absorption peak (lambda(max)) of the opsins were estimated based on amino acids located at specific spectral tuning sites. Photoreceptor cell populations were analyzed using immunohistochemistry with anti-opsin antibodies. Results showed the same morphological cell populations and same opsins absorption peaks, in both viperid species: double and single cones with LWS photopigment and lambda(max) at similar to 555 nm; single cones with SWS1 photopigment and lambda(max) at similar to 360 nm; and rods with the rhodopsin RH1 photopigment and lambda(max) at similar to 500 nm. The results indicate adaptations to nocturnal habit in both species despite the differences in habitat, and the possibility of a dichromatic color vision at photopic conditions. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 14/26818-2 - Development and implementation of visual evaluation methods: clinical applications and animal models |
| Grantee: | Dora Selma Fix Ventura |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Projects - Thematic Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 14/25743-9 - Expression of opsins and melanopsins in snakes' retinas: molecular genetics and immunohistochemistry |
| Grantee: | Einat Hauzman |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |