Melanopsin-expressing ganglion cells in primate retina signal colour and irradiance and project to the LGN

Dennis M. Dacey (), Hsi-Wen Liao, Beth B. Peterson, Farrel R. Robinson, Vivianne C. Smith, Joel Pokorny, King-Wai Yau and Paul D. Gamlin
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Dennis M. Dacey: University of Washington
Hsi-Wen Liao: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Beth B. Peterson: University of Washington
Farrel R. Robinson: University of Washington
Vivianne C. Smith: University of Chicago, Vision Science Laboratories
Joel Pokorny: University of Chicago, Vision Science Laboratories
King-Wai Yau: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Paul D. Gamlin: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Vision Science Research Center

Nature, 2005, vol. 433, issue 7027, 749-754

Abstract: Rods and cones... and these The recent discovery of inner retinal photoreceptors in mammals and fish was a major surprise. Present in addition to the well known rods and cones, these receptors are thought to detect irradiance levels, and to be linked to the night-and-day regulation of the circadian system. Two new studies show that melanopsin, found almost exclusively in these ‘ganglion-cell photoreceptors’, is photosensitive. Qiu et al. turn mammalian kidney cells into functional photoreceptors by introducing melanopsin, and Melyan et al. do a similar trick in neuronal cells. These findings could have clinical applications, possibly allowing selective stimulation of cells in the brain and helping to restore sight lost due to retinal degeneration. A further study identifies a previously unknown retinal population of ‘giant’ melanopsin-expressing ganglion cells. They are photosensitive but are also activated by rods and cones, thereby merging the conventional ‘image forming’ pathway with the radiance-detecting pathway in primates.

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/nature03387

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