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The Evolution and Function of Melanopsin in Craniates

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Book cover Evolution of Visual and Non-visual Pigments

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Vision Research ((SSVR,volume 4))

Abstract

In addition to well-characterised visual systems, many organisms, including the craniates, possess a complex sensory system of non-visual photoreceptors that detect light for a diverse array of non-image-forming tasks. Like the photoreceptors of image-forming systems, the pigments contained within non-visual photoreceptive cells comprise a protein component (opsin) linked to a light-sensitive retinal chromophore derived from vitamin A. In mammals, one of the most important of these non-visual pigments is melanopsin (encoded by the OPN4 gene, specifically that of the “mammal-like” or “m-class”), which is restricted in expression to a subset of retinal ganglion cells and has been shown to be the conduit through which light regulates many physiological activities, including the photoentrainment of circadian systems (e.g. the sleep cycle) and the pupillary reflex response. In non-mammals, melanopsin exists as two distinct gene lineages, namely the m-class and x-class (“Xenopus-like”), and both are expressed in many different tissues, including the eyes, skin, fins, gills, brain and pineal gland; however, the functional roles mediated by melanopsin in these “lower” vertebrates remain to be fully elucidated. In this review, we discuss the evolutionary history of the melanopsin gene, its diverse patterns of expression and transcriptional output, the functional roles so far determined, and the clinical significance of this critical and phylogenetically most ancient opsin-based system of irradiance detection.

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Acknowledgements

We thank those who have collectively produced much of the data discussed in this review. Particularly noteworthy are Professor David Whitmore, Doctor Katherine Tamai, Professor Venkatesh, Professor David Hunt and Professor Shaun Collin, amongst many others. This work was supported by grants awarded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) to WILD in the form of a Future Fellowship, and the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Wellcome Trust to MWH and RGR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Animal Biology and University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, WA, Australia, 6009

    Wayne I. L. Davies B.A. (Hons.) M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab.)

  2. Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Levels 5-6 West Wing, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK

    Wayne I. L. Davies B.A. (Hons.) M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab.), Russell G. Foster B.Sc., Ph.D. & Mark W. Hankins B.Sc., Hons., Ph.D.

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  1. Wayne I. L. Davies B.A. (Hons.) M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab.)
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  2. Russell G. Foster B.Sc., Ph.D.
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  3. Mark W. Hankins B.Sc., Hons., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Wayne I. L. Davies B.A. (Hons.) M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab.) .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia

    David M. Hunt

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Mark W. Hankins

  3. School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, West Australia, Australia

    Shaun P Collin

  4. Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    N. Justin Marshall

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Davies, W.I.L., Foster, R.G., Hankins, M.W. (2014). The Evolution and Function of Melanopsin in Craniates. In: Hunt, D., Hankins, M., Collin, S., Marshall, N. (eds) Evolution of Visual and Non-visual Pigments. Springer Series in Vision Research, vol 4. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4355-1_2

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