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Is melanopsin a genuine photopigment? Studies on its role in mediating light-driven melanin granule movement in Xenopus laevis melanophores

Reference	S18851
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr David Sugden
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Russell Foster
Institution	King's College London
Department	Reproductive Health Endocrinology Dev
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	220,036
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	17/11/2003
End date	16/02/2007
Duration	39 months

Abstract

Melanopsin is a prime candidate for the non-rod, non-cone photoreceptor in the retina mediating entrainment of circadian rhythms and other non-image forming light responses in mammals. However, it has not yet been shown to be a genuine light-detecting protein in any of its sites of expression. The aim of this project is to determine if melanopsin can function as a genuine photoreceptor, using a cellular model system (Xenopus laevis melanophores) which express the protein and undergo an easily measured movement pigment granules toward the cell periphery (dispersion) when illuminated. We propose to ask 1) is melanopsin the photopigment responsible for light-driven granule dispersion? 2) does the action spectrum for granule dispersion match the absorption spectrum of purified recombinant melanopsin? 3) what are the signal transduction mechanisms activated by light driving pigment dispersion?

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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