Abstract
ONE of the many metabolic functions attributed to adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) is that of a mediator in the responses of living organisms to light stimulation. It has been associated with dopaminergic synaptic activities and also with the primary visual process in the retina. In the rod outer segments of the frog, Rana pipiens, cyclic AMP concentrations are diminished by illumination. Regulation is through the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase1. In addition, an adenyl cyclase has been isolated from retina which is activated by the catecholamine dopamine; dopamine is thought to be an important neurotransmitter in the retina2. The exact relationship between the initial transduction of the light signal and the attenuation in the levels of cyclic AMP is unknown. One reason for this is the complexity of the tissue and the difficulty of isolating clean fractions. I describe here a simpler system in which levels of cyclic AMP decrease in response to light stimulation much as in retina and where all the transduction occurs within a single cell.
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COHEN, R. Cyclic AMP levels in Phycomyces during a response to light. Nature 251, 144–146 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/251144a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/251144a0
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