title: Guinea pigs reared in a monochromatic environment exhibit changes in cone density and opsin expression.
abstract: This study aimed to determine if a monochromatic environment will affect the development of cones in a guinea pig model. Thirty 3-day-old guinea pigs were randomized into three groups and exposed to green, violet, and white light (control) for 8 weeks. The animals were sacrificed and the density of middle-wavelength cones (M cones) and short-wavelength sensitive (S cones) and expression of M-opsin and S-opsin were determined. The density of M cones was increased in the green light group as compared to the control group, and decreased in the violet light group as compared to the control group (both, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the density of the S cones among the groups (all, p > 0.05). The density of coexpressing cones in the middle retina was significantly increased in the green light group in comparison to the violet light group (p < 0.01). In addition, there was a significant increase in the level of M-opsin as determined by Western blotting and M-opsin mRNA expression as determined by PCR analysis in the green light group as compared to the control group and a significant decrease in violet light group as compared to the control group (all, p < 0.05). No significant difference in S-opsin level or S-opsin mRNA expression was noted among the groups. We concluded that monochromatic lighting affected the density of cones and expression of opsins in a guinea pig model, and this indicates that the retinal color visual system of the guinea pig possess developmental plasticity.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, The Second People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, 650021, China. fudanhumin@sina.com
authors: Min
authors: M
authors: Hu
authors: Zhulin
authors: Z
authors: Hu
authors: Liping
authors: L
authors: Xue
authors: Zhongkun
authors: Z
authors: Yang
authors: Zhikun
authors: Z
authors: Zheng
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: He
authors: Xiaofan
authors: X
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003116:Color; D055253:Color Vision / Q000528:radiation effects; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008027:Light; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000528:radiation effects; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017299:Rod Opsins