Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 1974 Mar;237(2):341–370. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1974.sp010485

The density and photosensitivity of human rhodopsin in the living retina

M Alpern, E N Pugh Jr
PMCID: PMC1350887  PMID: 4825455

Abstract

1. The visual pigment in a 5° circular patch of the living human retina 18° temporal from the fovea was studied with the Rushton retinal densitometer. The measuring light (570 nm) was selected to obviate artifacts from colour photoproducts.

2. The action spectrum of a 10% bleach agrees well with the action spectrum at absolute threshold for the same patch of retina. The quantized C.I.E. scotopic spectral sensitivity curve is a good description of both spectra. Therefore, the visual pigment studied must be human rhodopsin.

3. Its density has been estimated in five different ways. The results are in reasonable agreement. The optical density of human rhodopsin in vivo is about 0·35 (common logarithmic units) at its γmax.

4. The photosensitivity of human rhodopsin in vivo was determined by studying its rate of bleaching in response to steps of monochromatic light exposed to the dark adapted eye, by measuring the amount bleached in the steady state by monochromatic lights as well as the amount bleached by 10 sec flashes of white light.

5. The results obtained by the different methods are in good agreement with each other and with previous estimates made by others using white light.

6. The photosensitivity of human rhodopsin in vivo [εγmax = 62,000 to 120,000 l./cm mole] is much higher than expected from in vitro measurements.

Full text

PDF
341

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alpern M., Maaseidvaag F., Oba N. The kinetics of cone visual pigments in man. Vision Res. 1971 Jun;11(6):539–549. doi: 10.1016/0042-6989(71)90075-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Alpern M. Rhodopsin kinetics in the human eye. J Physiol. 1971 Sep;217(2):447–471. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1971.sp009580. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Alpern M., Thompson S., Lee M. S. Spectral transmittance of visible light by the living human eye. J Opt Soc Am. 1965 Jun;55(6):723–727. doi: 10.1364/josa.55.000723. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baumann C. Die Photosensitivität des Sehpurpurs in der isolierten Netzhaut. Vision Res. 1965 Aug;5(7):425–434. doi: 10.1016/0042-6989(65)90050-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brindley G. S. The deformation phosphene and the funnelling of light into rods and cones. J Physiol. 1967 Jan;188(2):24P–25P. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. CAMPBELL F. W., RUSHTON W. A. Measurement of the scotopic pigment in the living human eye. J Physiol. 1955 Oct 28;130(1):131–147. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1955.sp005399. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. DARTNALL H. J. A. The interpretation of spectral sensitivity curves. Br Med Bull. 1953;9(1):24–30. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a074302. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. DONNER K. O., RUSHTON W. A. Rod-cone interaction in the frog's retina analysed by the Stiles-Crawford effect and by dark adaptation. J Physiol. 1959 Dec;149:303–317. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1959.sp006341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Dartnall H. J. The photosensitivities of visual pigments in the presence of hydroxylamine. Vision Res. 1968 Apr;8(4):339–358. doi: 10.1016/0042-6989(68)90104-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dobelle W. H., Marks W. B., MacNichol E. F., Jr Visual pigment density in single primate foveal cones. Science. 1969 Dec 19;166(3912):1508–1510. doi: 10.1126/science.166.3912.1508. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Dowling J. E., Ripps H. S-potentials in the skate retina. Intracellular recordings during light and dark adaptation. J Gen Physiol. 1971 Aug;58(2):163–189. doi: 10.1085/jgp.58.2.163. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Flamant F., Stiles W. S. The directional and spectral sensitivities of the retinal rods to adapting fields of different wave-lengths. J Physiol. 1948 Mar 15;107(2):187–202. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1948.sp004262. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. HAGINS W. A. The photosensitivity of mammalian rhodopsin in situ. J Physiol. 1954 Nov 29;126(2):37P–37P. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hecht S., Shlaer S., Pirenne M. H. ENERGY, QUANTA, AND VISION. J Gen Physiol. 1942 Jul 20;25(6):819–840. doi: 10.1085/jgp.25.6.819. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hood C., Rushton W. A. The Florida retinal densitometer. J Physiol. 1971 Aug;217(1):213–229. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1971.sp009567. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. King-Smith P. E. The optical density of erythrolabe determined by a new method. J Physiol. 1973 May;230(3):551–560. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010203. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. King-Smith P. E. The optical density of erythrolabe determined by retinal densitometry using the self-screening method. J Physiol. 1973 May;230(3):535–549. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010202. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Miller S. S. Psychophysical estimates of visual pigment densities in red-green dichromats. J Physiol. 1972 May;223(1):89–107. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1972.sp009836. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. RUSHTON W. A. CONE PIGMENT KINETICS IN THE PROTANOPE. J Physiol. 1963 Sep;168:374–388. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1963.sp007198. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. RUSHTON W. A. Rhodopsin measurement and dark-adaptation in a subject deficient in cone vision. J Physiol. 1961 Apr;156:193–205. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1961.sp006668. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. RUSHTON W. A. STRAY LIGHT AND THE MEASUREMENT OF MIXED PIGMENTS IN THE RETINA. J Physiol. 1965 Jan;176:46–55. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1965.sp007534. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. RUSHTON W. A. THE DENSITY OF CHLOROLABE IN THE FOVEAL CONES OF THE PROTANOPE. J Physiol. 1963 Sep;168:360–373. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1963.sp007197. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. RUSHTON W. A. The difference spectrum and the photosensitivity of rhodopsin in the living human eye. J Physiol. 1956 Oct 29;134(1):11–29. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1956.sp005622. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. RUSHTON W. A. The rhodopsin density in the human rods. J Physiol. 1956 Oct 29;134(1):30–46. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1956.sp005623. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Ripps H., Weale R. A. Flash bleaching of rhodopsin in the human retina. J Physiol. 1969 Jan;200(1):151–159. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1969.sp008686. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Ripps H., Weale R. A. Rhodopsin regeneration in man. Nature. 1969 May 24;222(5195):775–777. doi: 10.1038/222775a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Rushton W. A., Powell D. S. The rhodopsin content and the visual threshold of human rods. Vision Res. 1972 Jun;12(6):1073–1081. doi: 10.1016/0042-6989(72)90098-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. WALD G., BROWN P. K. Human rhodopsin. Science. 1958 Jan 31;127(3292):222–226. doi: 10.1126/science.127.3292.222. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. WALD G. On the mechanism of the visual threshold and visual adaptation. Science. 1954 Jun 25;119(3104):887–892. doi: 10.1126/science.119.3104.887. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. WEALE R. A. COMPARISON OF REACTIONS OF HUMAN AND RABBIT FUNDI TO PHOTIC EXPOSURE. J Opt Soc Am. 1964 Jan;54:120–126. doi: 10.1364/josa.54.000120. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Physiological Society

RESOURCES