| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Galante Rocha de Vasconcelos, Felipe Tadeu
[1]
;
Vilani Naman, Maria Julia
[1]
;
Hauzman, Einat
[2, 1]
;
Baron, Jerome
[3]
;
Ventura, Dora Fix
[2, 1]
;
Oliveira Bonci, Daniela Maria
[1]
Total Authors: 6
|
| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Psicol, Dept Psicol Expt, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil
[2] Hosp Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil
[3] Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Ciencias Biol, Dept Fisiol & Biofis, Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 3
|
| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | VISION RESEARCH; v. 165, p. 90-97, DEC 2019. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 0 |
| Abstract | |
Owls constitute a diverse group of raptors, active at different times of the day with distinct light conditions that might be associated with multiple visual adaptations. We investigated whether shifts in the spectral sensitivity of the L cone visual pigment, as inferred by analysis of gene structure, could be one such adaptive mechanism. Using Sanger sequencing approach, we characterized the long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) opsin gene expressed in the retina of five owl species, specifically chosen to represent distinct patterns of activity. Nocturnality was epitomized by the American barn owl (Tyto furcata), the striped owl (Asio clamator), and the tropical screech owl (Megascops choliba); diurnality, by the ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucudium brasilianum); and cathemerality, by the burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia). We also analyzed the presence of the L cone in the retinas of four species of owl (T. furcata, A. cunicularia, G. brasilianum and M. choliba) using immnunohistochemistry. Five critical sites for the spectral tuning of the LWS opsin (164, 181, 261, 269, and 292) were analyzed and compared to the sequence of other birds. The sequence of A. cunicularia showed a substitution on residue 269, with the presence of an alanine instead threonine, which generates an estimated maximum absorption (lambda(max)) around 537 nm. No other variation was found in the spectral tuning sites of the LWS opsin, among the other species, and the lambda(max), was estimated at around 555 nm. The presence of L cones in the retinas of the four species of owls was revealed using immunohistochemistry and we observed a reduced number of L cones in T. furcata compared to A. cunicularia, G. brasilianum and M. choliba. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 11/17423-6 - Study of the visual pigments of New World primates and analysis of genetic markers for diabetic retinopathy |
| Grantee: | Daniela Maria Oliveira Bonci |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| FAPESP's process: | 09/06026-6 - Psychophysical and genetic study of color vision deficiency in humans with different pathologies |
| Grantee: | Dora Selma Fix Ventura |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research 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 |
| FAPESP's process: | 08/58731-2 - Vision as a sensitive indicator of conditions threatening retinal and central nervous system function |
| Grantee: | Dora Selma Fix Ventura |
| Support Opportunities: | Research Projects - Thematic Grants |