A mammalian neural tissue opsin (Opsin 5) is a deep brain photoreceptor in birds.

ABSTRACT: It has been known for many decades that nonmammalian vertebrates detect light by deep brain photoreceptors that lie outside the retina and pineal organ to regulate seasonal cycle of reproduction. However, the identity of these photoreceptors has so far remained unclear. Here we report that Opsin 5 is a deep brain photoreceptive molecule in the quail brain. Expression analysis of members of the opsin superfamily identified as Opsin 5 (OPN5; also known as Gpr136, Neuropsin, PGR12, and TMEM13) mRNA in the paraventricular organ (PVO), an area long believed to be capable of phototransduction. Immunohistochemistry identified Opsin 5 in neurons that contact the cerebrospinal fluid in the PVO, as well as fibers extending to the external zone of the median eminence adjacent to the pars tuberalis of

SUBMITTER: Nakane Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2930557 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature