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Full spectral sensitivity f unctions for wild-type (OE) and transgenic (F) mice as determined with ERG flicker photometry (top, 1 animal each) and behavioral increment-threshold measurements (bottom, 2 transgenic mice, 1 wild-type mouse). The continuous curves are linear summations of the photopigment spectra shown in Figure 2.
Source publication
Genetically driven alterations in the complement of retinal photopigments are fundamental steps in the evolution of vision. We sought to determine how a newly added photopigment might impact vision by studying a transgenic mouse that expresses a human cone photopigment. Electroretinogram (ERG) measurements indicate that the added pigment works well...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... we measured spectral sensitivity down into the UV range using both ERG and behavioral discrimination. Figure 5 (top) shows ERG spectral sensitivity f unctions obtained from a transgenic and a control animal. There is clear evidence for robust contribution to the spectral sensitivity f unction by the UV cone in both animals. ...
Context 2
... is clear evidence for robust contribution to the spectral sensitivity f unction by the UV cone in both animals. Figure 5 (bottom) also shows behaviorally determined spectral sensitivity f unctions for two transgenic mice and a single control animal. Although there is relatively much lower sensitivity in the UV wavelengths for behavioral than for ERG measurements, there is no obvious difference between the transgenic and the wild-type animals. ...
Context 3
... One possible key to understanding the relative reweighting of M and L influence is that UV cone signals were also represented very differently in ERG and behavioral measurements. Specifi- cally, cones containing UV pigment contribute relatively much less to behavioral spectral sensitivity than they do to the ERG spectral sensitivity f unctions (Fig. 5, compare top and bottom). Because many cones in the transgenic mouse that contain UV pigment also contain L -pigment, the loss of influence from the two pigment types in the behavioral measures likely may simply reflect a diminution in the influence of the signals from cones containing UV pigment. Whatever the reason for this, and ...
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Citations
... Mice with normal vision could distinguish between red and green. 23,24 The number of correct choices, time to stable platform and travelled distance were used for evaluating cone visual function of mice. ...
Purpose
The aim of study was to establish Rdh12-associated inherited retinal disease (Rdh12-IRD) mouse model and to identify the best timepoint for gene therapy.
Methods
We induced retinal degeneration in Rdh12−/− mice using a bright light. We clarified the establishment of Rdh12-IRD mouse model by analyzing the thickness of retinal layers and electroretinography (ERG). Rdh12-IRD mice received a subretinal injection of adeno-associated virus 2/8-packaged Rdh12 cDNA for treatment. We evaluated the visual function and retinal structure in the treated and untreated eyes to identify the best timepoint for gene therapy.
Results
Rdh12-IRD mice showed significant differences in ERG amplitudes and photoreceptor survival compared to Rdh12+/+ mice. Preventive gene therapy not only maintained normal visual function but also prevented photoreceptor loss. Salvage gene therapy could not reverse the retinal degeneration phenotype of Rdh12-IRD mice, but it could slow down the loss of visual function.
Conclusion
The light-induced retinal degeneration in our Rdh12−/− mice indicated that a defect in Rdh12 alone was sufficient to cause visual dysfunction and photoreceptor degeneration, which reproduced the phenotypes observed in RDH12-IRD patients. This model is suitable for gene therapy studies. Early treatment of the primary Rdh12 defect helps to delay the later onset of photoreceptor degeneration and maintains visual function in Rdh12-IRD mice.
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... In the afternoon cameras were set 2 h before the dark phase, and allowed to operate for 4 h, while in the morning cameras were set 2 h before the light phase, and allowed to operate for 4 h. As mouse vision is limited at wave lengths of light below 630 nm [26], dark phase records were made under red light illumination (Phillips, Infrared PAR38). ...
... Similar to humans, the processing of color vision in non-human primates occurs through two chromatic opponent channels, yellow-blue (common to dichromats and trichromats) and red-green (solely in trichromats), which operate in a parallel way [Dominy & Lucas, 2001;Regan et al., 2001]. Thus, despite the accuracy and objectivity of the genetic methods in color vision studies, the dimensionality of an animal's color perception can only be demonstrated accurately through behavioral tests [Jacobs et al., 1999] and further correlation with molecular data [Altavini et al., 2012;Caine & Mundy, 2000;Melin et al., 2007;Leonhardt et al., 2009;Saito et al., 2005;Tovée et al., 1992]. Furthermore, external factors might be considered, as they may also influence the perception of color. ...
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... Various aspects of mouse vision have been investigated with behavioral methods, including threshold sensitivity (Hayes and Balkema, 1993a,b; Herreros de Tejada et al., 1997; Nathan et al., 2006), spectral sensitivity and discrimination (Jacobs et al., 1999Jacobs et al., , 2004), temporal acuity (Nathan et al., 2006; Umino et al., 2008), and spatial acuity (Gianfranceschi et al., 1999; Prusky et al., 2002 Prusky et al., , 2004 Umino et al., 2008). Thresholds measured with the method used here appear to be 20-fold lower than those reported previously . ...
... The method applied here also yields much steeper frequency of seeing curves (Figs. 2, 3) than those reported previously (Herreros de Tejada et al., 1997); i.e., the mouse's behavior goes from nondetection to perfect detection over a 100-fold smaller range of intensities. Increment thresholds of mice adapted to several specific background levels have been measured with a three-alternative forced choice method (Jacobs et al., 1999Jacobs et al., , 2004 ). Although these latter experiments provided unequivocal spectral evidence for mouse cone versusincrementexperimentswithWTmiceusingbroadband( " white " )backgroundsandtwodifferent wavelength test flashes, 500 nm (green symbols) and 365 nm (magenta) symbols. ...
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Phenotyping with traditional behavioral assays constitutes a major bottleneck in the primary screening, characterization, and validation of genetic mouse models of disease, leading to downstream delays in drug discovery efforts. We present a novel and comprehensive one-stop approach to phenotyping, the PhenoCube™. This system simultaneously captures the cognitive performance, motor activity, and circadian patterns of group-housed mice by use of home-cage operant conditioning modules (IntelliCage) and custom-built computer vision software. We evaluated two different mouse models of Huntington's Disease (HD), the R6/2 and the BACHD in the PhenoCube™ system. Our results demonstrated that this system can efficiently capture and track alterations in both cognitive performance and locomotor activity patterns associated with these disease models. This work extends our prior demonstration that PhenoCube™ can characterize circadian dysfunction in BACHD mice and shows that this system, with the experimental protocols used, is a sensitive and efficient tool for a first pass high-throughput screening of mouse disease models in general and mouse models of neurodegeneration in particular.
... Vision is the detection of different wavelengths of light, whereas color vision is the discrimination of different wavelengths of light. Adding photoreceptor pigments can expand the detectable spectral window and/or expand the ability to discriminate wavelengths (i.e., color discrimination) (Jacobs et al. 1999). Color discrimination is accomplished by comparing the signals from cone cells with different λ max. ...
... However, it is not known whether multiple opsin genes are expressed in individual cone cells in fish retinas, or if some form of allelic exclusion exists. Two studies byJacobs et al. (1999Jacobs et al. ( , 2007) highlight possible implications of an expanded opsin repertoire.Jacobs et al. (2007)created a line of transgenic mice in which the cone cells either expressed an MWS opsin or an LWS opsin. The mice had an expanded range of wavelengths they could detect and were able to differentiate additional wavelengths of light. ...
... The mice had an expanded range of wavelengths they could detect and were able to differentiate additional wavelengths of light. However,Jacobs et al. (1999)also created a line of transgenic mice with MWS and LWS opsins but had to coexpress them in individual cone cells. The mice could detect an expanded range of wavelengths but were unable to differentiate wavelengths of light (i.e., see color). ...
Expansions in sensory systems usually require processes such as gene duplication and divergence, and thus evolve slowly. We evaluate a novel mechanism leading to rapid sensory repertoire expansion: hybrid-sensory expansion (HSE). HSE occurs when two species with differently tuned sensory systems form a hybrid, bringing together alleles from each of the parental species. In one generation, a sensory repertoire is created that is the sum of the variance between parental species. The Amazon molly presents a unique opportunity to test the HSE hypothesis in a "frozen" hybrid. We compared opsin sequences of the Amazon molly, Poecilia formosa, to those of the parental species. Both parental species are homozygous at the RH2-1 locus and each of the four long wavelength sensitive loci, while P. formosa possess two different alleles at these loci; one matching each parental allele. Gene expression analysis showed P. formosa use the expanded opsin repertoire that was the result of HSE. Additionally, behavioral tests revealed P. formosa respond to colored stimuli in a manner similar or intermediate to the parental species P. mexicana and P. latipinna. Together these results strongly support the HSE hypothesis. Hybrid-sensory repertoire expansion is likely important in other hybrid species and in other sensory systems.
... mice had to nosepoke on the left side in order to gain access to water in the right corner, or nosepoke to the right in the left corner (see Figure 1). After a correct alternation, a nosepoke in the correct [22] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3072044/?report=printable 4/15 recess resulted in the door opening and allowing access to the water bottle on that side. After 8 seconds, the door gently closed, preventing further access to water, unless the alternative active corner was visited. ...
