Journal
SCIENCE
Volume 331, Issue 6023, Pages 1409-1413Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/science.1199702
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NIH [NS046750]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Light-responsive neural activity in central brain neurons is generally conveyed through opsin-based signaling from external photoreceptors. Large lateral ventral arousal neurons (lLNvs) in Drosophila melanogaster increase action potential firing within seconds in response to light in the absence of all opsin-based photoreceptors. Light-evoked changes in membrane resting potential occur in about 100 milliseconds. The light response is selective for blue wavelengths corresponding to the spectral sensitivity of CRYPTOCHROME (CRY). cry-null lines are light-unresponsive, but restored CRY expression in the lLNv rescues responsiveness. Furthermore, expression of CRY in neurons that are normally unresponsive to light confers responsiveness. The CRY-mediated light response requires a flavin redox-based mechanism and depends on potassium channel conductance, but is independent of the classical circadian CRY-TIMELESS interaction.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available