Questioning photostasis.
Vis Neurosci
; 30(4): 169-74, 2013 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23985328
ABSTRACT
Photostasis is a phenomenon where the photoreceptor outer segment (OS) length and its rhodopsin content vary depending on environmental lighting. When light is reduced for extended periods, it is argued that OS lengthen and its rhodopsin concentration rises to increase photon capture in darker environment. Increases in OS length may occur because the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells reduce OS consumption in prolonged darkness. But sample sizes in assessing changes in OS length have been small, and results highly varied with no statistical analysis ever offered. Further, animals used were often albinos, which have abnormal RPE cells. Here we keep pigmented and albino mice for 21 days in darkness and compare OS length with those in a normal 1212 light/dark environment. We measured approximately 1300 OS but found no statistically significant difference in their lengths between light and dark groups in either pigmentation phenotype, although there was a small trend in the data favoring OS extension in the dark. Given that earlier studies were undertaken on limited samples with no statistical analysis, our data pose serious questions for the notion of mammalian photostasis in terms of significant OS plasticity.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Temas:
Geral
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Rodopsina
/
Segmento Externo da Célula Bastonete
/
Luz
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Vis Neurosci
Assunto da revista:
NEUROLOGIA
/
OFTALMOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido