title: Localisation and origin of the bacteriochlorophyll-derived photosensitizer in the retina of the deep-sea dragon fish Malacosteus niger.
abstract: Most deep-sea fish have a single visual pigment maximally sensitive at short wavelengths, approximately matching the spectrum of both downwelling sunlight and bioluminescence. However, Malcosteus niger produces far-red bioluminescence and its longwave retinal sensitivity is enhanced by red-shifted visual pigments, a longwave reflecting tapetum and, uniquely, a bacteriochlorophyll-derived photosensitizer. The origin of the photosensitizer, however, remains unclear. We investigated whether the bacteriochlorophyll was produced by endosymbiotic bacteria within unusual structures adjacent to the photoreceptors that had previously been described in this species. However, microscopy, elemental analysis and SYTOX green staining provided no evidence for such localised retinal bacteria, instead the photosensitizer was shown to be distributed throughout the retina. Furthermore, comparison of mRNA from the retina of Malacosteus to that of the closely related Pachystomias microdon (which does not contain a bacterichlorophyll-derived photosensitzer) revealed no genes of bacterial origin that were specifically up-regulated in Malacosteus. Instead up-regulated Malacosteus genes were associated with photosensitivity and may relate to its unique visual ecology and the chlorophyll-based visual system. We also suggest that the unusual longwave-reflecting, astaxanthin-based, tapetum of Malacosteus may protect the retina from the potential cytotoxicity of such a system.
authors.affiliation: Division of Optometry &Visual Science, City, University of London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK.
authors.forename: Ronald H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Genner
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors.forename: Alan G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.affiliation: Oceans Institute, School of Animal Biology, M092, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Julian C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Partridge
authors.affiliation: Anatomisches Institut der Universität Tübingen, Ősterbergstrasse 3, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Joachim
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls / Q000378:metabolism*; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008027:Light; D010473:Perciformes / Q000378:metabolism*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism*; D012168:Retinal Pigments / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012168:Retinal Pigments; D024341:Xanthophylls; D002734:Chlorophyll; C005948:astaxanthine