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Originally published in Science Express on 26 June 2003
Science 25 July 2003:
Vol. 301. no. 5632, pp. 525 - 527
DOI: 10.1126/science.1086179
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Reports

Melanopsin Is Required for Non-Image-Forming Photic Responses in Blind Mice

Satchidananda Panda,1,2* Ignacio Provencio,4* Daniel C. Tu,5* Susana S. Pires,1 Mark D. Rollag,4 Ana Maria Castrucci,4,7 Mathew T. Pletcher,1,2 Trey K. Sato,1,2 Tim Wiltshire,1 Mary Andahazy,1 Steve A. Kay,2 Russell N. Van Gelder,5,6 John B. Hogenesch1,3{dagger}

Although mice lacking rod and cone photoreceptors are blind, they retain many eye-mediated responses to light, possibly through photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. These cells express melanopsin, a photopigment that confers this photosensitivity. Mice lacking melanopsin still retain nonvisual photoreception, suggesting that rods and cones could operate in this capacity. We observed that mice with both outer-retinal degeneration and a deficiency in melanopsin exhibited complete loss of photoentrainment of the circadian oscillator, pupillary light responses, photic suppression of arylalkylamine-N-acetyltransferase transcript, and acute suppression of locomotor activity by light. This indicates the importance of both nonvisual and classical visual photoreceptor systems for nonvisual photic responses in mammals.

1 Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, 10675 John J. Hopkins Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA. 2 Department of Cell Biology, 3 Department of Neuropharmacology, Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, San Diego, CA 92037, USA. 4 Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. 5 Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, 6 Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. 7 Department of Physiology, Biosciences Institute, University of São Paulo, Rua do Matão, travessa 14, 05508-900, São Paulo, Brazil.



* These authors contributed equally to this work.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hogenesch{at}gnf.org

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