Molecular advances to study the function, evolution and spectral tuning of arthropod visual opsins.

ABSTRACT: Visual opsins of vertebrates and invertebrates diversified independently and converged to detect ultraviolet to long wavelengths (LW) of green or red light. In both groups, colour vision largely derives from opsin number, expression patterns and changes in amino acids interacting with the chromophore. Functional insights regarding invertebrate opsin evolution have lagged behind those for vertebrates because of the disparity in genomic resources and the lack of robust in vitro systems to characterize spectral sensitivities. Here, we review bioinformatic approaches to identify and model functional variation in opsins as well as recently developed assays to measure spectral phenotypes. In particular, we discuss how transgenic lines, cAMP-spectroscopy and sensitive heterologous expressi

SUBMITTER: Lienard MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9450095 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature