Abstract
THE response of invertebrate photoreceptors to light is thought to be composed of small discrete events known as ‘bumps’1–5. The rate of occurrence of these bumps increases and their average size decreases with increasing ambient light intensity (light adaptation)6–10. The mechanisms involved in these processes are unknown. I report here an analysis of the light-induced current fluctuations in the voltage-clamped ventral photoreceptors of Limulus. Results seem to suggest that the conductance change of a bump is due to the opening of discrete channels which have properties similar to those of the discrete channels observed in the vertebrate neuromuscular junction11–14. The data also lead to suggestions of plausible mechanisms for the generation and adaptation of bumps.
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WONG, F. Nature of light-induced conductance changes in ventral photoreceptors of Limulus. Nature 276, 76–79 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/276076a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/276076a0
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