title: Single-channel currents activated by light in Limulus ventral photoreceptors.
abstract: Sensory stimuli alter the membrane conductance of receptor cells. Noise analysis studies in several types of receptors suggest that ionic channels mediate this change in conductance, but no direct evidence for such channels has been obtained. We have now investigated the mechanism of ion permeation underlying the light-induced conductance in the ventral photo-receptors of Limulus polyphemus by means of the patch-clamp technique and have resolved single-channel currents that are activated by light.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003624:Darkness; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006737:Horseshoe Crabs; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008027:Light; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels