马拉维湖丽鱼科鱼类晶状体透射与视蛋白基因表达之间的关系。

The relationship between lens transmission and opsin gene expression in cichlids from Lake Malawi.

作者信息

Hofmann Christopher M, O'Quin Kelly E, Justin Marshall N, Carleton Karen L

机构信息

Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States.

出版信息

Vision Res. 2010 Feb 8;50(3):357-63. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2009.12.004. Epub 2009 Dec 11.

DOI:10.1016/j.visres.2009.12.004

PMID:20005244

Abstract

The lens plays an important role in regulating the wavelengths of light that reach the retina. However, the evolutionary relationship between lens transmission and retinal sensitivity remains cloudy at best. We examined the relationship between lens transmission and opsin gene expression in a group of rapidly radiating cichlids from East Africa. Lens transmission was bimodal, either cutting off around 360 or 400 nm, and appeared to be quite labile evolutionarily. We found a strong correlation between lens transmission and SWS1 (UV) opsin gene expression, suggesting that UV transmitting lenses are adaptive in cichlids. Species which expressed high levels of SWS2B (violet) opsin varied in their lens transmission while most species that expressed high levels of SWS2A (blue) opsin had UV blocking lenses. In no instance did lens transmission appear to limit retinal sensitivity. Finally, the strong correlation that we observe between SWS1 expression and lens transmission suggests that these two traits might be coupled genetically.

摘要

晶状体在调节到达视网膜的光的波长方面起着重要作用。然而，晶状体透射率与视网膜敏感度之间的进化关系充其量仍不明确。我们研究了一群来自东非的快速辐射丽鱼科鱼类中晶状体透射率与视蛋白基因表达之间的关系。晶状体透射率呈双峰分布，要么在360纳米或400纳米左右截止，并且在进化上似乎相当不稳定。我们发现晶状体透射率与SWS1（紫外线）视蛋白基因表达之间存在很强的相关性，这表明透射紫外线的晶状体在丽鱼科鱼类中具有适应性。表达高水平SWS2B（紫色）视蛋白的物种在晶状体透射率方面存在差异，而大多数表达高水平SWS2A（蓝色）视蛋白的物种具有阻挡紫外线的晶状体。在任何情况下，晶状体透射率似乎都不会限制视网膜敏感度。最后，我们观察到SWS1表达与晶状体透射率之间的强相关性表明，这两个特征可能在基因上是相关联的。