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Desensitisation of peripheral photoreceptors shown by blue-induced decrease in transmittance of Drosophila rhabdomeres

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Abstract

WHILE studying the deep pseudopupil1,2 of the white-eyed fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster) compound eye, we found that the amount of light transmitted through the peripheral rhabdomeres (Rh1–6) decreases when the eye is illuminated with intense blue light3. A similar phenomenon has been independently observed by Cosens and Wright4. By using various mutants with defective photoreceptor responses, we examined some possible explanations for this phenomenon and its relationship to the electrophysiological responses of the photoreceptors. The results of these studies are presented here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907

    MEI-VEN C. Lo & WILLIAM L. PAK

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  1. MEI-VEN C. Lo
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  2. WILLIAM L. PAK
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Lo, MV., PAK, W. Desensitisation of peripheral photoreceptors shown by blue-induced decrease in transmittance of Drosophila rhabdomeres. Nature 273, 772–774 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/273772a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/273772a0

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