[21] Phylogenetic analysis and experimental approaches to study color vision in vertebrates

摘要: Abstract To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of vertebrate color vision, it is essential to establish associations between amino acid substitutions and directions λ max shifts visual pigments. In this way, we can identify critical changes that may be responsible for process, consider only highly conserved residues, simply because evolutionary conservation often implies functional importance. Using such an “evolutionary model” 2 as a convenient tool in designing mutagenesis experiments, test specific hypotheses on are vision vertebrates. Virtually any opsin cDNA expressed COS cells. reconstituted with 11- cis -retinal, values regenerated pigments measured rather easily. By constructing mutant desired conducting vitro assay comparing their those corresponding wild-type pigments, shifts—and vision—of vertebrates rigorously.