The pigment system of the photoreceptor 7 yellow in the fly, a complex photoreceptor

Summary

The 7y photoreceptor in the fly (Musca, Calliphora) retina harbours an unusually complex pigment system consisting of a bistable visual pigment (xanthopsin, X and metaxanthopsin, M), a blue-absorbing C₄₀-carotenoid (zeaxanthin and/or lutein) and a uv sensitizing pigment (3-OH retinol).

The difference spectrum and photoequilibrium spectrum in single 7y rhabdomeres were determined microspectrophotometrically (Fig. 2).

The extinction spectrum of the C₄₀-carotenoid has a pronounced vibrational structure, with peaks at 430, 450 and 480 nm (Fig. 3). The off-axis spectral sensitivity, determined electrophysiologically with 1 nm resolution shows no trace of this fine structure thus excluding the possibility that the C₄₀-carotenoid is a second sensitizing pigment (Fig. 4).

The absorption spectra of X and M are derived by fitting nomogram spectra (based on fly R1–6 xanthopsin) to the difference spectrum.λ max for X is 425 nm, and for M 510 nm (Fig. 5). It is shown that the photoequilibrium spectrum and the difference spectrum can be used to derive the relative photosensitivity spectra of X and M using the analytical method developed by Stavenga (1975). The result (Fig. 6) shows a pronounced uv sensitivity for both, X and M, indicating that the uv sensitizing pigment transfers energy to both X and M. A value of 0.7 forΦ, the relative efficiency of photoconversion for X and M, is obtained by fitting the analytically derived relative photosensitivity spectra to the absorption spectra at wavelengths beyond 420 nm.