title: Pinopsin expressed in the retinal photoreceptors of a diurnal gecko.
abstract: Retinal cDNAs encoding the putative opsins, dg3 and dg4, were isolated from a diurnal gecko, Phelsuma madagascariensis longinsulae. dg3 mRNA is localized in about 20% of the thin members of type C double cones, and likely encodes an opsin of the ultraviolet-sensitive pigment. Surprisingly, dg4 is very similar to chicken pinopsin, a pineal-specific photoreceptive molecule. An anti-dg4 antiserum recognized a small population of photoreceptor outer segments in the retina and a large number of pinealocytes. Our results suggest that P. m. longinsulae expresses pinopsin in its retina, which usually plays a role as a photoreceptive molecule in the pineal organ.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Space Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hisatomi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030161:Avian Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008116:Lizards; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism*; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D030161:Avian Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017299:Rod Opsins; C429140:dg3 protein, Phelsuma madagascariensis longinsulae; C429141:dg4 protein, Phelsuma madagascariensis longinsulae; C090139:OPNP protein, chicken