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The Cutting Edge

Research Explains How Eyes See Continuously in Bright Light

A study by researchers from the UCLA Stein Eye Institute describes a molecular pathway that helps our eyes see continuously in bright light. The findings help answer a long-standing question about mammalian vision: Why don’t our eyes become less sensitive when they’re bombarded with bright light? The research conducted in mice reveals that a special molecule, which uses sunlight itself, rapidly recycles visual pigments after the pigments sense light and change structure.

Eyes

Image : Victorien Ameline Unsplash

To see, all animals rely on a molecule known as 11-cis-retinal, which is present in both the rods and cones of our eyes. When 11-cis-retinal is exposed to light, some atoms in the molecule move in response, changing the structure and forming all-trans-retinal molecules, which then triggers signals to the nervous system that our brain interprets as images. For the eye to sense light again, the molecule is then converted back to its original 11-cis-retinal form. This is a slower process in rods than cones, which is why a sudden bright light in a dark room can momentarily “blind” a person. In daylight, however, that temporary blindness doesn’t occur, suggesting there’s a faster way the eyes can regenerate 11-cis-retinal.

The researchers suspected that a molecule called RGR opsin might play a role in an alternative molecular pathway to regenerate 11-cis-retinal. Using cells isolated from the retinas of mice and exposed to constant bright light, the team discovered that RGR opsin, together with a second molecule — Rdh10 — converts all-trans-retinal back to the 11-cis form when exposed to light. Notably, the reaction results in 11-cis-retinol, a slight variant of 11-cis-retinal. Only the cones of the eye, and not the rods, can then modify the molecule to the needed 11-cis-retinal.

The researchers noted that in mice that lacked the gene for RGR opsin, the cones in the animals’ eyes temporarily lost sensitivity during continuous exposure to light — just as the rods do when exposed to bright light in the dark.

The findings are a critical step in the basic understanding of how humans see. They suggest that RGR opsin is needed for constant vision in the daytime; without the molecule, flashes of bright light would diminish our vision. The findings also have some clinical implications: The human gene for RGR opsin is mutated in a small subset of families with retinitis pigmentosa, which causes blindness. Blindness in these families may be caused by the loss of function of RGR opsin, and the study helps explain the molecule’s role.

— Elaine Schmidt

“Light-Driven Regeneration of Cone Visual Pigments through a Mechanism Involving RGR Opsin in Müller Glial Cells,” Neuron, June 19, 2019


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Fall 2019

Fall 2019
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IN THIS ISSUE
  • Unlocking the Unknown: The Power and Promise of Collaboration
  • Students Travel to a Remote Peruvian City to Learn about Medicine with Limited Resources
  • The Brains of Pairs of Animals Synchronize during Social Interaction
  • More HPV Vaccinations could Prevent Cancer in 1,300 Californians
  • Antibiotics before Liver Transplants Leads to Better Results
  • Immunotherapy Improves Five-year Survival Rate of People with Advanced Lung Cancer
  • Research Explains How Eyes See Continuously in Bright Light
  • Three-drug Combination Helps Curb the Growth of Deadly Type of a Cancer
  • Peptides that Mimic ‘Good Cholesterol’ Reverse Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Mice
  • Giving Where the Rubber Meets the Road
  • The Accidental Scientist
  • Answers, At Last
  • Coal Miner’s Son
  • A Day in the Life: Child Life Specialists in the Operating Room
  • Journey of a Lifetime
  • Awards & Honors
  • In Memoriam
  • Sold-out Wonder of Women Summit Celebrates Whole Health
  • UCLA Receives $10 million from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation to Support Stem Cell Research
  • Taste for a Cure Raises Money for Cancer Research
  • Cyclists Help Tour de Pier Surpass Fundraising Target
  • UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Names New Research Suite
  • Semel Insitute Introduces 2018-19 Max Gray Fellows
  • UCLA Women’s Cardiovascular Center Hosts a Community Update on Women’s Heart Health
  • Vision Specialists Establish Smotrich Family Optometric Clinician-Scientist Chair
  • UCLA Stein Eye Institute Celebrates the Bert O. Levy Chair
  • Innovations in Nutrition and Mindfulness on the Road to Health and Wellness
  • Two Young Friends Launch Toy Drive to Benefit Mattel Patients
  • Gifts
  • In Memoriam
  • Thanks to the Ants
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