The authors of this study found that light flashes caused rapid contractions of Drosophila melanogaster photoreceptor cells, and that such contractions did not occur in cells from flies lacking phospholipase C (PLC). PLC causes these contractions by hydrolysing the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate (PIP2) and thereby depleting it from the plasma membrane. The results suggest that these mechanical changes help to gate the light-sensitive channels in these cells.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Hardie, R. C. & Franze, K. Photomechanical responses in Drosophila photoreceptors. Science 338, 260–263 (2012)
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Jones, R. Photoreceptors get moving. Nat Rev Neurosci 13, 812 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3389
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3389