A repertoire of visible light-sensitive opsins in the deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp Rimicaris hybisae.

ABSTRACT: Unlike terrestrial environments, where humans reside, there is no sunlight in the deep sea. Instead, dim visible light from black-body radiation and bioluminescence illuminates hydrothermal vent areas in the deep sea. A deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp, Rimicaris hybisae, is thought to detect this dim light using its enlarged dorsal eye; however, the molecular basis of its photoreception remains unexplored. Here, we characterized the molecular properties of opsins, universal photoreceptive proteins in animals, found in R. hybisae. Transcriptomic analysis identified six opsins: three Gq-coupled opsins, one Opn3, one Opn5, and one peropsin. Functional analysis revealed that five of these opsins exhibited light-dependent G protein activity, whereas peropsin exhibited the ability to convert a

SUBMITTER: Nagata Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12221356 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature