Vertebrate visual cells are investigated in optical isolation with a unique dichroic microspectrophotometer (DMSP). Absorbance and linear dichroism spectra are simultaneously measured from 275 nm and up through the visible spectrum. The long-term objectives are 1, a quantitative description of color vision, 2, an understanding of the biology of spectral tuning in visual pigments and, 3, a detailed knowledge of the visual cycle, i.e., the chemical forms of the retinoids as they bleach and regenerate visual pigments.
The specific aims are: 1. The redetermination of human visual pigment absorbance spectra; 2. The study of the chemical properties and three-dimensional disposition (chromophore orientation) of visual pigments in rods and cones, including the ultraviolet (UV) absorbing types; 3. The determination of the ellipsosomes' biochemical role in the killifish retina as they probably subserve the energy generating needs of photoreceptors; 4. The study of visual pigment regeneration inlarval tiger salamander cones and rods; 5. The study of retinoid transformations in gecko and carp photoreceptors; 6. The continued development of the DMSP. The design of the experiments is based on the observation that most vertebrate photoreceptors, in freshly excised retinal tissue, can be maintained in physiological solutions and examined in the light microscope before major cellular deteriorations set in. Histochemical techniques ar combined with light microscopic observations and microspectrophotometric measurements of single subcellular compartments. The overall objective is a quantitative understanding of the cellular basis of vision. This work may be relevant to retinal degenerative diseases and to human color vision, abnormal (color blindness), as well as normal.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EY004876-08
Application #
3259451
Study Section
Visual Sciences A Study Section (VISA)
Project Start
1983-08-01
Project End
1993-03-31
Budget Start
1991-07-01
Budget End
1993-03-31
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1991
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Marine Biological Laboratory
Department
Type
DUNS #
001933779
City
Woods Hole
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02543
Ma, J; Znoiko, S; Othersen, K L et al. (2001) A visual pigment expressed in both rod and cone photoreceptors. Neuron 32:451-61
Flamarique, I N; Harosi, F I (2000) Photoreceptors, visual pigments, and ellipsosomes in the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus: a microspectrophotometric and histological study. Vis Neurosci 17:403-20
Novales Flamarique, I; Hawryshyn, C W; Harosi, F I (1998) Double-cone internal reflection as a basis for polarization detection in fish. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 15:349-58
Harosi, F I; von Herbing, I H; Van Keuren, J R (1998) Sickling of anoxic red blood cells in fish. Biol Bull 195:5-11
Harosi, F I (1996) Visual pigment types and quantum-catch ratios: implications from three marine teleosts. Biol Bull 190:203-12
Harosi, F I; Kleinschmidt, J (1993) Visual pigments in the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. Vis Neurosci 10:711-5
Evans, B I; Harosi, F I; Fernald, R D (1993) Photoreceptor spectral absorbance in larval and adult winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus). Vis Neurosci 10:1065-71
Kleinschmidt, J; Harosi, F I (1992) Anion sensitivity and spectral tuning of cone visual pigments in situ. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 89:9181-5
Szuts, E Z; Harosi, F I (1991) Solubility of retinoids in water. Arch Biochem Biophys 287:297-304
Hawryshyn, C W; Harosi, F I (1991) Ultraviolet photoreception in carp: microspectrophotometry and behaviorally determined action spectra. Vision Res 31:567-76

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