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Fly visual pigments difference in visual pigments of blowfly and dronefly peripheral retinula cells

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Summary

The visual pigments of peripheral retinula cells in fly eyes have been investigated by microspectrophotometry in vivo. Since flies have a pupil mechanism (Kirschfeld and Franceschini, 1969) which may invalidate the visual pigment measurements, the technique has been applied to the pupil-less mutant chalky of the blowflyCalliphora erythrocephala. It proves that the data acquired previously from wild type blowflies with the in vivo method (Stavenga et al., 1973) are indeed reliable.

Blowfly peripheral retinula cells contain a blue-green absorbing rhodopsin. P495, which is photo-interconvertible with a yellow absorbing metarhodopsin M 580. The transformation of rhodopsin into metarhodopsin occurs within milliseconds.

Peripheral retinula cells of wild type droneflies contain a rhodopsin P460 and a metarhodopsin M 550. Both blowfly and dronefly belong to the suborder of Brachycera and both have a strongly bathochromic shifted metarhodopsin; yet, the characteristics of their visual pigments appear to be quite distinct.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biophysical Department, Laboratorium voor Algemene Natuurkunde, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Doekele G. Stavenga

  2. Department of Neurobiology, Research School of Biological Sciences, Institute of Advanced Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

    Doekele G. Stavenga

  3. Department of Applied Mathematics, Research School of Physical Sciences, Institute of Advanced Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

    Doekele G. Stavenga

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  1. Doekele G. Stavenga
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Professors J.W. Kuiper, K. Hamdorf, G.A. Horridge, and A.W. Snyder are gratefully acknowledged for most stimulating support. Dr. Y. Tsukahara and R. Hardie suggested important improvements to the manuscript.

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Stavenga, D.G. Fly visual pigments difference in visual pigments of blowfly and dronefly peripheral retinula cells. J. Comp. Physiol. 111, 137–152 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00605529

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