Molecular Biology & EvolutionKΕodawska et al. examine visual opsin genes sequences and expression in Bermin crater lake cichlids, recovering little coding sequence divergence but high variation in expression profile, suggesting plasticity at the onset of sensory evolution.
GenomeBiolEvolDe Vivo et al. explored the diversity and evolution of opsins using meta-omic data from the Tara Oceans and Tara Polar Circle expeditions, identifying opsins across the different metazoan groups.
Lagman, Bergqvist & Kuraku analysed opsin gene evolution in jawless vertebrates, confirming tandem duplications of visual opsins before the vertebrate radiation.
McDowell et al. find that melanopsin spectral sensitivity is constrained across mammalian species via molecular mechanisms that are substantially distinct from those of other opsins.
UniversidadxClimaAnimal vision relies on #opsins, which are proteins that detect light using a small molecule called retinal. Retinal, however, naturally absorbs ultraviolet #UV light only, meaning it sees shorter light than the visible light that we see. To extend its sensitivity into the visible range, retinal binds to the opsin to form a light-sensitive pigment through a special chemical bond called a Schiff base This bond carries a positive charge that normally requires a nearby negatively charged amino acid
Policarpo et al. analyse 535 genomes to study opsin evolution across ray-finned fishes. Visual opsins are more prone to duplications and losses than nonvisual opsins; fish that rely on electroreception show a reduction in both opsin types.
π doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf129
Our recent article on non-visual opsins in lizards - which made the May cover - is the focus of a new Highlight.
"Highlight: More Than Meets the EyeβNonvisual Opsins Are Crucial for Light-Sensing in Vertebrates"
π doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf075
The tuatara and many lizards possess a parietal eye, where non-visual opsins are expressed. Romero & @fsjsouza.bsky.social compared 60+ genomes to study the evolution of non-visual opsins, suggesting a functional role associated with the parietal eye.
π doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf058
The May cover of Genome Biology and Evolution features the work of Romero & de Souza, who used comparative genomics to study the evolution of non-visual opsin genes in lizards and the tuatara.
π doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf058
ποΈ Eugenia Amado
CellBioNewsDeep-sea #shrimp have #evolved enhanced #vision for the #bioluminescent world, study finds.
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-deep-sea-shrimp-evolved-vision.html
