Spectral Tuning in Mammalian Melanopsins.

ABSTRACT: Melanopsin is a light-sensitive G-protein coupled receptor responsible for essential visual and non-visual light-mediated behaviors in mammals. Human melanopsin shows maximal sensitivity (λmax) in the blue region of the spectrum (∼480 nm), and available evidence suggests that this spectral sensitivity may be retained across mammals. However, melanopsin spectral sensitivity has been defined for only a small number of species, and the molecular mechanisms determining this property remain poorly understood. Here, we use heterologous action spectroscopy to determine the spectral sensitivity of melanopsins from 8 mammalian species, selected to cover diversity in retinal physiology, lighting niche, and evolutionary distance, and of engineered mutants of mouse melanopsin designed to explore mecha

SUBMITTER: McDowell RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12461567 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature