Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 105, Issue 29, Pages 9855-9862Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0708405105
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Funding
- NEI NIH HHS [R01 EY006837-20A1, R01 EY014596-04, R01 EY006837-17, R01 EY006837-18, R01 EY006837, R01 EY014596, R01 EY006837-21, R01 EY014596-01, R01 EY014596-03, R01 EY014596-05, R01 EY014596-02, R01 EY014596-06, R01 EY006837-16A1, R01 EY006837-19] Funding Source: Medline
- NIDCD NIH HHS [R01 DC006904-01, R01 DC006904-04, R01 DC006904-03, R01 DC006904-02, R01 DC006904] Funding Source: Medline
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Retinal rods and cones, which are the front-end light detectors in the eye, achieve wonders together by being able to signal single-photon absorption and yet also able to adjust their function to brightness changes spanning 10(9)-fold. How these cells detect light is now quite well understood. Not surprising for almost any biological process, the intial step of seeing reveals a rich complexity as the probing goes deeper. The odyssey continues, but the knowledge gained so far is already nothing short of remarkable in qualitative and quantitative detail. It has also indirectly opened up the mystery of odorant sensing. Basic science aside, clinical ophthalmology has benefited tremendously from this endeavor as well. This article begins by recapitulating the key developments in this understanding from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s, during which period the advances were particularly rapid and fit for an intricate detective story. It then highlights some details discovered more recently, followed by a comparison between rods and cones.
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