Abstract
Disk membranes in the outer segment of rod photoreceptors are continuously renewed, being assembled at the outer segment base, displaced outward by new disks and eventually shed at the tip1. In lower vertebrates, disk assembly occurs with a diurnal rhythm with 2–4% of the outer segment length produced daily2,3. We have discovered that in toad and fish retinas the level of mRNA for opsin, the most abundant protein in rod disks4, fluctuates with a daily rhythm and is regulated both by light and by a circadian oscillator5. The mRNA level rises before light onset, remains high during the light phase of a diurnal cycle and decreases four to tenfold during the dark phase. In constant darkness, mRNA eleva-tion occurs during subjective daytime. At night, rod opsin mRNA can be elevated by exposure to light.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Young, R. W. J. Cell Biol. 33, 61–72 (1967).
Besharse, J. C. Prog. Ret. Res. 1, 81–124 (1982).
Basinger, S. F., Hoffman, R., Matthes, M. Science 194, 1074–1076 (1976).
Hamm, H. & Bownds, M. D. Biochemistry 25, 4512–4523 (1986).
Fernald, R. D., McDonald, R. & Korenbrot, J. I. Invest. Opthalmol. Vis. Sci Suppl. 28, 184 (1987).
Nathans, J. & Hogness, D. S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 4851–4855 (1984).
O'Tousa, J. E. et al. Cell 40, 839–850 (1985).
Dixon, R. A. F. et al. Nature 321, 75–79 (1986).
Kubo, T. et al. Nature 323, 411–416 (1986).
Martin, R. L., Wood, C., Baehr, W. & Applebury, M. L. Science 232, 1266–1269 (1986).
Casey, J. & Davidson, N. Nucleic Acid Res 4, 1539–1553 (1977).
Burnside, B. & Nagle, B. Prog. Ret. Res. 2, 67–109 (1983).
Nathans, J., Thomas, D. & Hogness, D. S. Science 232, 193–202 (1986).
Brann, M. R. & Cohen, L. V. Science 235, 585–587 (1987).
Bowes, D. & Farber, D. B. Inveest. Opthalmol. Vis. Sci. Suppl. 29, 14 (1988).
Matsumoto, B. & Bok, D. Invest. Opthalmol. Vis. Sci. 25, 1–9 (1984).
Bird, A. C., Flennery, J. G. & Bok, D. Invest. Opthalmol. Vis. Sci. suppl 28, 184 (1987).
Besharse, J. C., Przybyla, A. P., MacDonald, R. J. & Rutter, W. J. Biochemistry 18, 5294–5299 (1979).
Chirgwin, J. M. et al. Biochemistry 18, 5294–5299 (1979).
Maniatis, T., Fritsch, E. F. & Sambrook, J. Molecular Cloning (Cold Spring Harbor, New York, 1982).
Applebury, M. L. & Hargrave, P. A. Vision Res. 26, 1881–1895 (1986).
Capco, D. G., Krochmalnic, G. & Penman, S. J. Cell Biol. 98, 1878–1885 (1984).
Hayashi, S., Gillam, C., Delaney, A. D. & Tener, G. M. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 26, 677–688 (1978).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Korenbrot, J., Fernald, R. Circadian rhythm and light regulate opsin mRNA in rod photoreceptors. Nature 337, 454–457 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337454a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/337454a0
This article is cited by
-
Photoperiodic physiology of summer breeding birds and a search for the role of eye
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences (2023)
-
Opsin expression patterns coincide with photoreceptor development during pupal development in the honey bee, Apis mellifera
BMC Developmental Biology (2018)
-
Altered miRNA expression in canine retinas during normal development and in models of retinal degeneration
BMC Genomics (2014)
-
RT-qPCR reveals opsin gene upregulation associated with age and sex in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) - a species with color-based sexual selection and 11 visual-opsin genes
BMC Evolutionary Biology (2011)
-
Visual sensitivities tuned by heterochronic shifts in opsin gene expression
BMC Biology (2008)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
