In mammals, melanopsin (OPN4)-based phototransduction is thought to account for most of the non-image-forming light detection that entrains the circadian pacemaker. van Oosterhout et al. now show that ultraviolet (UV) light-sensitive cones also make an important contribution to circadian regulation in mice. UV light had comparable phase-shifting effects to white light in a wheel running task. In wild-type and Opn4−/− mice, UV or white light exposure could elicit a sustained increase in neural activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and UV light, like white light, was capable of inducing sleep. Lastly, loss of cones but not rods had a severe effect on UV light-induced phase-shifting responses.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
van Oosterhout, F. et al. Ultraviolet light provides a major input to non-image-forming light detection in mice. Curr. Biol. 5 Jul 2012 (doi:org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.05.032)
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Yates, D. The UV regulator. Nat Rev Neurosci 13, 519 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3310
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3310