Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A Drosophila mutant defective in extracellular calcium-dependent photoreceptor deactivation and rapid desensitization

Abstract

CALCIUM is involved in the adaptation of vertebrate photoreceptors to light1,2 and may have a similar role in invertebrate phototransduction3,4. But the molecular mechanisms mediating this stimulus-dependent regulation are not well understood in any G protein-coupled transduction system. We have developed a preparation of isolated Drosophila photoreceptors that has allowed us to carry out an electrophysiological characterization of the light-activated response in these sensory neurons using patch-clamp techniques. We report here that extracellular calcium entering through the light-activated conductance is a key regulator of both the activation and deactivation phases of the phototransduction cascade, and that inaC mutant photoreceptors5 are specifically defective in the calcium-dependent deactivation mechanism. These data suggest that the light-dependent calcium influx inactivates this cascade through a biochemical pathway that requires the inaC gene product, and that this mechanism represents a molecular basis for stimulus-dependent regulation of visual transduction in Drosophila photoreceptors.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Fain, G. L. & Matthews, H. R. Trends Neurosci. 13, 378–384 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Pugh, E. N. & Lamb, T. D. Vision Res. 30, 1923–1948 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Payne, R. Photobiochem. Photobiophys. 13, 373–397 (1986).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Fein, A. & Payne, R. in Facets of Vision (eds Stavenga, D. & Hardie, R.) 173–185 (Springer, Berlin, 1989).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  5. Pak, W. L. in Neurogenetics, Genetic Approaches to the Nervous System (ed. Breakfield, X. O.) 67–99 (Elsevier, New York, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Tomlinson, A. Development 104, 183–193 (1988).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hardie, R. C. in Progress in Sensory Physiology (ed. Ottoson, D.) 1–79 (Springer, New York, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  8. O'Tousa, J. E. et al. Cell 40, 839–850 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Zuker, C. S., Cowman, A. F. & Rubin, G. M. Cell 40, 851–858 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Bainbridge, S. P. & Bownes, M. J. Embryol. exp. Morph. 66, 57–80 (1981).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Hardie, R. C., Voss, D., Pongs, O. & Laughlin, S. B. Neuron 6, 477–486 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Matthews, H. R., Murphy, R. L. W., Fain, G. L. & Lamb, T. D. Nature 334, 67–69 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Nakatani, K. & Yau, K.-W. Nature 334, 69–71 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Koch, K. & Stryer, L. Nature 334, 64–66 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Rubin, L. J. & Brown, J. E. Biophys. J. 47, 38 (1985).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Payne, R., Corson, D. W., Fein, A. & Berridge, M. J. J. gen. Physiol. 88, 127–142 (1986).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Brown, J. E. & Blinks, J. R. J. gen. Physiol. 64, 643–665 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Fein, A. & Lisman, J. E. Science 187, 1094–1096 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Lisman, J. E. & Brown, J. E. J. gen. Physiol. 59, 701–719 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Horn, R. & Marty, A. J. gen. Physiol. 92, 145–159 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Tsien, R. Y. Biochemistry 19, 2396–2404 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Koenig, J. & Merriam, J. Drosoph. Inf. Serv. 52, 50–51 (1977).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Hengstenberg, R. & Gotz, K. G. Kybernetik 3, 276 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Pak, W. L. in Handbook of Genetics (ed. King, R. C.) 703–733 (Plenum, New York, London, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Dizhoor, A. M. et al. Science 251, 915–918 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Lambrecht, H. G. & Koch, K. W. EMBO J. 10, 793 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kawamura, S. & Murakami, M. Nature 349, 420–423 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Hamill, O. P., Marty, A., Neher, E., Sakmann, B. & Sigworth, F. Pflügers Arch. 391, 85–100 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ranganathan, R., Harris, G., Stevens, C. et al. A Drosophila mutant defective in extracellular calcium-dependent photoreceptor deactivation and rapid desensitization. Nature 354, 230–232 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/354230a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/354230a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing