Definition
Phototransduction refers to the process of converting light into electrical signals underlying the neural activity of the retina. Photoreceptors, the site of transduction in both invertebrate and vertebrate vision, can modulate their cellular responses as a function of light intensity and background illumination in order to cope with the wide range of lighting in the environment. These adaptation and transduction mechanisms rely on calcium signaling. A variety of ocular pathologies, including different forms of retinal degeneration and the aberrant growth of retinal precursors or other cell types in the eye, often are due to mutations in gene products regulating calcium. The discovery of these events is now providing opportunities for intervention in the treatment of very disparate diseases of the eye.
Calcium in Vertebrate Photoreceptors
Vertebrate photoreceptor cells can detect...
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Acknowledgments
JK’s and ASP’s research is funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Retina Research Foundation/M.D. Matthews Research Chair. NJC’s research is funded by the National Eye Institute, the Retina Research Foundation, and the Retina Research Foundation/Walter H. Helmerich Research Chair. We gratefully acknowledge C. Vang for assistance in preparing the figures.
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Kenealey, J.D., Polans, A.S., Colley, N.J. (2013). Calcium in Vision. In: Kretsinger, R.H., Uversky, V.N., Permyakov, E.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metalloproteins. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1533-6_146
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1533-6_146
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