Gradients of Orientation, Composition, and Hydration of Proteins for Efficient Light Collection by the Cornea of the Horseshoe Crab.

ABSTRACT: The lateral eyes of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, are the largest compound eyes within recent Arthropoda. The cornea of these eyes contains hundreds of inward projecting elongated cuticular cones and concentrate light onto proximal photoreceptor cells. Although this visual system has been extensively studied before, the precise mechanism allowing vision has remained controversial. Correlating high-resolution quantitative refractive index (RI) mapping and structural analysis, it is demonstrated how gradients of RI in the cornea stem from structural and compositional gradients in the cornea. In particular, these RI variations result from the chitin-protein fibers architecture, heterogeneity in protein composition, and bromine doping, as well as spatial variation in water content re

SUBMITTER: Spaeker O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9685478 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature