LWS visual pigment in owls: Spectral tuning inferred by genetics

Autor(es)

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]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[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

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: VISION RESEARCH; v. 165, p. 90-97, DEC 2019.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

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)

• Processo FAPESP: 10/51670-8 - Ecologia e evolução do sistema visual de serpentes Caenophidia: estudos comparativos da morfologia retiniana e genética de opsinas
• Beneficiário: Einat Hauzman
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 11/17423-6 - Estudo dos pigmentos visuais de primatas do Novo Mundo e análise de marcadores genéticos para retinopatia diabética
• Beneficiário: Daniela Maria Oliveira Bonci
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 09/06026-6 - Estudo psicofísico e genético das deficiências da visão de cores em humanos com diferentes patologias
• Beneficiário: Dora Selma Fix Ventura
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 14/25743-9 - Expressão de opsinas e melanopsinas em retinas de serpentes: genética molecular e imunohistoquímica
• Beneficiário: Einat Hauzman
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 08/58731-2 - A visão como indicador de processos lesivos na retina e no sistema nervoso central
• Beneficiário: Dora Selma Fix Ventura
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático