• Title/Summary/Keyword: ocellus

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G-Proteins Expressed in the Ocellus of the Hydromedusan, Spirocodon saltatrix.

  • Iwasa, Tatsuo;Shimazaki, Yumiko;Yamamoto, Masamichi;Ohtsu, Kohzoh
    • Journal of Photoscience
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.278-280
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    • 2002
  • We have cloned a hydromedusan opsin cDNA and showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of the cytoplasmic loop between helices 5 and 6 (loop 5-6) was clearly different from that reported so far. The amino acid sequence of the loop 5-6 is important on determination of the specificity for the coupled G- protein. To clarify which class of G-protein mediates the phototransduction system in the ocellus of the hydromedusan, we investigated G-proteins expressed in the ocellus. By PCR against the cDNA of the ocellus with primers designed according to the conserved amino acid sequence in G-protein a subunit, we obtained three kinds of cDNA fragments. Based on the sequence similarities, ttwo of them (JGI and JG3) were classified as $G_{i}$ and $G_{q}$, respectively. The other one (JG2) was a new subtype within $G_{*}$ class. Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry with the antiserum against the C-terminal sequence of $G_{q}$ or $G_{t}$ revealed the presence. of the both classes in the ocellus. The similarity of the C-terminal sequence of the JG2 with that of bovine $G_{t}$ suggests that the anti- $G_{t}$ antiserum would bind to JG2. These results suggest the possibility that the hydromedusan rhodopsin decides the specificity for the coupled G-protein by the other domain than the loop 5-6.oop 5-6.5-6.

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Ultrastructure of Ocellus in Drosophila melanogaster Visual Mutant rdgA (초파리 rdgA 시각돌연변이체 단안의 형태적 연구)

  • 윤춘식
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.9 no.3
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    • pp.308-313
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    • 1999
  • Ocellar morphological abnormality was studied in Drosophila rdgA mutant. In the mutant, ocellar photoreceptor cells were generally affected by the defection of rdgA molecules. Among organelles of photoreceptor cell, rhabdomeres were remarkably degenerated. The rdgA molecule, diacylglycerol kinase, was localized around SRC just below the rhabdomeric region. As a secondary phenomenon of photoreceptor degeneration, rER, multivesicular body and multilamella body were appeared in cytoplasm and these were known as to clean the cellular debris. These morphological abnormality was generally observed in degenerating cells. In Drosophila mutant, the degeneration of ocellar photoreceptor cell was facilitated to time. More intense morphological defection was observed in rdgA^{ks60} rather than in yw;rdgApc47.

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Whole Structure of the Photoreceptors in the Ascidian Larva Visualized by an Antibody Against Arrestin (Ci-Arr)

  • Horie, Takeo;Nakagawa, Masashi;Orii, Hidefumi;Tsuda, Motoyuki
    • Journal of Photoscience
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.272-274
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    • 2002
  • The anterior brain vesicle of ascidian larvae contains two distinct pigment cells. Ultrastructure of these pigment cells has been shown that the anterior pigment cell is an otolith for perception of gravity and the posterior pigment cell is an ocellus for light reception. The larva has remarkably simple central nervous system (CNS) composed of about 330 cells. We focused to study neural networks of visual systems. In the present paper, we report the whole structure of the photoreceptors of the ascidian larva visualized by an antibody against arrestin. Visual arrestin is the key protein for the termination of phototransduction and one of the abundant proteins in photoreceptors. Recently, we cloned an arrestin homologue gene, Ci-arr and the expression of Ci-arr was found to be restricted to the photoreceptors in the ocellus. To study the whole structure of the photoreceptors in the larva, we prepared an antibody against Ci-Arr. It is found that anti Ci-Arr antibody specifically stains the photoreceptors, including the cell bodies, the axons, and the nerve terminals. The photoreceptor cell bodies lies in row outside the pigment cup which penetrate the pigment cell and is continuous with the outer segments of the photoreceptor cell, inside the concavity of the pigments. The axons form bundle into a single tract. The tract extends toward the midline, where the nerve terminals diverge and seem to form synapses

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Morphological study of the genus Eucampia (Bacillariophyceae) in Korean coastal waters

  • Lee, Jun Mo;Lee, Jin Hwan
    • ALGAE
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.235-247
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    • 2012
  • Regardless of continuous researches, recent researches on the genus Eucampia (Bacillariophyceae) have focused mainly on E. zodiacus f. zodiacus In the present study, species of the genus Eucampia have been studied based on their morphological characteristics. Eucampia species were collected at 24 sites from July 2008 to June 2011 in Korean coastal waters. Species were mainly identified based on the shape of valve, ocellus, and aperture, along with the length and shape of the bipolar elevations. As a result, five Eucampia species were identified: Eucampia cornuta, E. groenlandica, E. zodiacus f. zodiacus, E. zodiacus f. cylindrocornis, and E. zodiacus var. cornigera. E. cornuta and E. groenlandica have long pervalvar axis length, but the others display short or moderate length. Ocellus shape of E. cornuta, E. groenlandica and E. zodiacus f. cylindrocornis are linear ribs, whereas E. zodiacus f. zodiacus and E. zodiacus var. cornigera have radial ribs with central area. E. cornuta and E. zodiacus f. cylindrocornis have long and narrow cylindrical elevations. E. groenlandica and E. zodiacus f. zodiacus have short and broad elevations with blunt tips. E. zodiacus var. cornigera has long and broad conical elevations. In terms of aperture shape, E. cornuta has large elliptical form, E. groenlandica has almost circular to rounded rectangular form, E. zodiacus f. zodiacus has narrow and elliptical rounded rectangular to a narrow lanceolate form, E. zodiacus f. cylindrocornis has almost rectangular form, and E. zodiacus var. cornigera has rounded rhombic form. On the basis of elevations in broad girdle view, 5 Eucampia taxa could be divided into 3 types: 'narrow H type', E. cornuta and E. groenlandica; 'regular H type', E. zodiacus f. cylindrocornis and E. zodiacus var. cornigera (partial); 'wide H type', E. zodiacus f. zodiacus (almost).

Degeneration of Ocellar Photoreceptor System on Drosophila rdgC Mutant (초파리 rdgC 돌연변이체 단안 시각계의 퇴행현상)

  • Yoon, Chun-Sik
    • Applied Microscopy
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    • v.28 no.3
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    • pp.391-398
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    • 1998
  • The morphological phenotype on ocellus of Drosophila rdgC mutant was observed with electron microscope. The result showed the particular phenotype that was not found in other retinal degenarative mutants. The most distinct difference was the orientation of photoreceptor cells. The photoreceptor cells did not attached to corneagenous cells but dropped under corneagenous cells and assembled around newly formed space. Enormous multivesicle bodies caused by the degeneration of photoreceptor cells were frequently found. Rhabdomeres were also severely degenerated in consequence of the mutant. Another degeneration was found in a part of photoreceptor cell, but the degeneration of subrhabdomeric cisternae (SRC) was not found. It was a ovious difference of rdgC comparing with other two retinal degenerative mutants, rdgA and rdgB. As a result, rdgC mutant was affected on the attachment between photoreceptor cells and corneageneous cells, and it suggested the defect of cell-cell attachment. In addition, rdgC mutant was accompanied by the defect not only in retina but nerve system. The results were agreed to the reference discussion that the rdgC molecule is exist in the nerve.

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The first record of a frogfish, Fowlerichthys scriptissimus (Antennariidae, Lophiiformes), from Korea

  • Han, Song-Hun;Kim, Joon Sang;Song, Choon Bok
    • Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.2.1-2.5
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    • 2017
  • This is the first report of Fowlerichthys scriptissimus (Lophiiformes, Antennariidae) from Korea. A single specimen (291.0 mm SL) was collected off the coast of Jejudo Island by gill net on 28 March 2012 and identified with morphological and molecular approaches. The specimen is characterized by having all five pelvic fin rays bifurcate and possessing 20 vertebrae, 13 pectoral-fin rays, and a basidorsal ocellus on the side of the body. This species is distinguishable from other Korean taxa by the number of pectoral fin rays, the bifurcate form of the pelvic rays, and the vertebral count. We add this species to the Korean fish fauna and suggest new Korean names, "Byeol-ssin-beng-i-sok" and "Byeol-ssin-beng-i" for the genus and species, respectively.

Phototransduction and Visual Cycle in the Ascidian Tadpole Larva

  • Kusakabe, Takehiro;Nakashima, Yuki;Kusakabe, Rie;Horie, Takeo;Kawakami, Isao;Yoshida, Reiko;Inada, Kyoko;Nakagawa, Masashi;Tsuda, Motoyuki
    • Journal of Photoscience
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.37-40
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    • 2002
  • Ascidians are lower chordates, and their tadpole-like larvae share a basic body plan with vertebrates. To study photoreceptive systems in ascidians, we have isolated and characterized cDNA clones for three opsins, five G protein ${\alpha}$ subunits (G${\alpha}$), catalytic and regulatory subunits of cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE), and arrestin from the ascidian Ciona intestinalis tadpole larva. Ci-opsin1 and Ci-opsin2 are vertebrate-type opsins, while Ci-opsin3 is a retinal photoisomerase similar to retinochrome and mammalian RGR. Both Ci-opsin1 and arrestin are specifically localized in the photoreceptor cells of the ocellus, whereas Ci -opsin2 is not expressed in the photoreceptors, but is co-localized in another population of neurons in the brain with PDE (Ci-PDE9 and Ci-PDE$\delta$). Ci-opsin3 is present in the entire region of the brain. Though five different cDNAs encoding Ga have been cloned, no transducin-type G protein has been found yet. Interestingly, one of G${\alpha}$i isoform is conspicuously expressed in the entire region of the brain. The Ci-opsin3 gene expression was observed in a broad area of the brain vesicle as well as in the visceral ganglion. Genes encoding ascidian homologs of CRALBP and ${\beta}$-CD, whose function is required for the mammalian visual cycle, are co-expressed with Ci-opsin3 in the brain vesicle and visceral ganglion. Localization of Ci-opsin3, CRALBP, and ${\beta}$-CD in a broad area of the brain suggests that the brain of the ascidian larva has a visual cycle system similar to that of the vertebrate RPE. Based on these data, we discuss the evolution of vertebrate visual systems.

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Ultrastructure of Ocellar Never System in Drosophila melanogaster (초파리 단안 신경계의 미세형태학적연구)

  • 윤춘식
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.9 no.6
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    • pp.709-714
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    • 1999
  • Ultrastructure of ocellar system was studied in adult Drosophila melanogaster. Ocellus was composed of terminal receptors, interneuron and glia. These three part showed different brightness each other and each component was distinct. In the glial cell, rER was abundant, and terminal receptors and interneuron showed numerous microtubules, special transporting system. The terminal receptors have particular structure referred as capital projection connecting the terminal receptor to glia. In synaptic active zone between terminal receptor and interneuron, ribbon-like structures and synaptic vesicles around the structures were frequently observed. In addition, the cross section of giant interneuron was also observed.

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Brain Vesicle Structure and Formation of the Hydrostatic Pressure Receptors in Larvae of the Ascidian (Halocynthia roretzi) (우렁쉥이(Halocynthia roretzi) 유생의 뇌포 구조와 수압수용쳬의 형성)

  • Kim Jung-Eun;Seo Hyeong-Joo;Kim Gil-Jung
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.39 no.2
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    • pp.94-99
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    • 2006
  • The tadpole larvae of most ascidians have two sensory pigment cells in their brain vesicle. The anterior otolith pigment cell is sensitive to gravity, whereas the posterior ocellus pigment cell responds to light. Besides these two sensory cells, the larvae also possess another type of sensory receptor cell: hydrostatic pressure receptor (Hpr) cells. The Hpr cells have been presumed to sense hydrostatic water pressure, although no functional analysis has been performed. In larvae of the ascidian Halocynthia reretzi, the development of the Hpr cells and their structure in the brain vesicle are poorly understood. To investigate the morphology and formation of the Hpr cells, we established a monoclonal antibody, Hpr-1, that specifically recognizes Hpr cells. The Hpr-1 antigens became detectable in the brain vesicle at the late tailbud stage. Each Hpr cell projected a small globular body, connected by a short stalk, into the lumen of the brain vesicle. The brain vesicle showed remarkable left-right asymmetry. Pigment cells were located on the right side in the lumen of the brain vesicle, whereas Hpr cells were present in the left side. After metamorphosis, the Hpr cells were observed near the rudimental siphons of the juvenile.