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Light dependence of oxygen consumption by blowfly eyes recorded with a magnetic diver balance

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Abstract

We measured the oxygen (O2) consumption of isolated blowfly eyes using a magnetic diver balance, a device for high-resolution volumetric O2 consumption measurements. The light-induced O2 consumption is at most three times the value of the dark consumption, which is 0.6 nl O2 s−1 eye−1, and is in good agreement with the estimates based on electrophysiological data. With longer stimuli the increase follows a double exponential time course. The respective time constants are approximately 2 and 20 s and show no dependence on light intensity, whereas the dependence of amplitudes can be fitted by a Hill equation. Decreasing the stimulus duration reveals that the peak in O2 consumption overshoots the time course induced by long stimuli. We suggest this may be a general feature of mitochondrial activation. The dependence of the O2 consumption peak on stimulus duration at high light intensity has a hump with stimulus durations of 10–20 ms, coinciding with the stimulus durations that start to induce the adaptation of the receptor potential.

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Abbreviations

TRP:

Transient receptor potential

TRPL:

Transient receptor potential-like

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Acknowledgements

The experiments comply with the “Principles of Animal Care”, publication No. 86-23, revised 1985, of the National Institute of Health, and also with the Animal Protection Law of Republic of Slovenia (Zakon o zaščiti živali, Uradni list RS, št. 98-4617/1999, p. 14645). Work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Slovenia (grant J1-1593, research program P0-0524-0481). We wish to thank Dr. R. Paulsen (University Karlsruhe, Germany) for supplying us with fresh batches of blowflies several times.

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  1. Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, P.O. Box 2995, 1001, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Tina Pangršič, Peter Stušek, Gregor Belušič & Gregor Zupančič

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  1. Tina Pangršič
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  2. Peter Stušek
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  3. Gregor Belušič
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  4. Gregor Zupančič
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Correspondence to Gregor Zupančič.

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Pangršič, T., Stušek, P., Belušič, G. et al. Light dependence of oxygen consumption by blowfly eyes recorded with a magnetic diver balance. J Comp Physiol A 191, 75–84 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-004-0571-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-004-0571-y

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