title: Evolution of color vision.
abstract: Color vision is achieved by comparing the inputs from retinal photoreceptor neurons that differ in their wavelength sensitivity. Recent studies have elucidated the distribution and phylogeny of opsins, the family of light-sensitive molecules involved in this process. Interesting new findings suggest that animals have evolved a strategy to achieve specific sensitivity through the mutually exclusive expression of different opsin genes in photoreceptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology New York University 1009 Main Building, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003, USA. franck. pichaud@nyu.edu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pichaud
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Briscoe
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Desplan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D012160:Retina / Q000502:physiology; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000502:physiology; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000502:physiology; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017299:Rod Opsins