Melanopsin and the Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells: Biophysics to Behavior

Oct 25, 2019Neuron

Light-Sensing Cells in the Eye: From How They Work to Their Role in Behavior

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Abstract

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) utilize a unique form of melanopsin to capture light and influence various brain functions.

IpRGCs are essential for several visual responses, some of which depend solely on them to occur.
Melanopsin in ipRGCs is linked to a slow phototransduction process, which differs from typical photoreceptor functions.
There is a division of labor among ipRGCs, indicating specialized roles within this cell type.
The circuitry involving ipRGCs is configured in an unorthodox manner, contributing to their unique functions.
Research on ipRGCs provides insights into photoreceptor evolution and the relationship between cellular mechanisms and behavior.

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The mammalian visual system encodes information over a remarkable breadth of spatiotemporal scales and light intensities. This performance originates with its complement of photoreceptors: the classic rods and cones, as well as the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). IpRGCs capture light with a G-protein-coupled receptor called melanopsin, depolarize like photoreceptors of invertebrates such as Drosophila, discharge electrical spikes, and innervate dozens of brain areas to influence physiology, behavior, perception, and mood. Several visual responses rely on melanopsin to be sustained and maximal. Some require ipRGCs to occur at all. IpRGCs fulfill their roles using mechanisms that include an unusual conformation of the melanopsin protein, an extraordinarily slow phototransduction cascade, divisions of labor even among cells of a morphological type, and unorthodox configurations of circuitry. The study of ipRGCs has yielded insight into general topics that include photoreceptor evolution, cellular diversity, and the steps from biophysical mechanisms to behavior.

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Melanopsin and the Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells: Biophysics to Behavior

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