Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of General Physiology logoLink to The Journal of General Physiology
. 1991 Mar 1;97(3):413–435. doi: 10.1085/jgp.97.3.413

Light adaptation in retinal rods of the rabbit and two other nonprimate mammals

PMCID: PMC2216483  PMID: 2037836

Abstract

The responses of rabbit rods to light were studied by drawing a single rod outer segment projecting from a small piece of retina into a glass pipette to record membrane current. The bath solution around the cells was maintained at near 40 degrees C. Light flashes evoked transient outward currents that saturated at up to approximately 20 pA. One absorbed photon produced a response of approximately 0.8 pA at peak. At the rising phase of the flash response, the relation between response amplitude and flash intensity (IF) had the exponential form 1-e-kappa FIF (where kappa F is a constant denoting sensitivity) expected from the absence of light adaptation. At the response peak, however, the amplitude-intensity relation fell slightly below the exponential form. At times after the response peak, the deviation was progressively more substantial. Light steps evoked responses that rose to a transient peak and rapidly relaxed to a lower plateau level. The response-intensity relation again indicated that light adaptation was insignificant at the early rising phase of the response, but became progressively more prominent at the transient peak and the steady plateau of the response. Incremental flashes superposed on a steady light of increasing intensity evoked responses that had a progressively shorter time-to- peak and faster relaxation, another sign of light adaptation. The flash sensitivity changed according to the Weber-Fechner relation (i.e., inversely) with background light intensity. We conclude that rabbit rods adapt to light in a manner similar to rods in cold-blooded vertebrates. Similar observations were made on cattle and rat rods.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.4 MB).

Selected References

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

  1. Adelson E. H. Saturation and adaptation in the rod system. Vision Res. 1982;22(10):1299–1312. doi: 10.1016/0042-6989(82)90143-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baylor D. A., Hodgkin A. L. Changes in time scale and sensitivity in turtle photoreceptors. J Physiol. 1974 Nov;242(3):729–758. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1974.sp010732. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Baylor D. A., Hodgkin A. L. Detection and resolution of visual stimuli by turtle photoreceptors. J Physiol. 1973 Oct;234(1):163–198. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010340. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baylor D. A., Lamb T. D., Yau K. W. Responses of retinal rods to single photons. J Physiol. 1979 Mar;288:613–634. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Baylor D. A., Lamb T. D., Yau K. W. The membrane current of single rod outer segments. J Physiol. 1979 Mar;288:589–611. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Baylor D. A., Matthews G., Nunn B. J. Location and function of voltage-sensitive conductances in retinal rods of the salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum. J Physiol. 1984 Sep;354:203–223. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015372. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Baylor D. A., Matthews G., Yau K. W. Two components of electrical dark noise in toad retinal rod outer segments. J Physiol. 1980 Dec;309:591–621. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013529. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Baylor D. A., Nunn B. J. Electrical properties of the light-sensitive conductance of rods of the salamander Ambystoma tigrinum. J Physiol. 1986 Feb;371:115–145. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1986.sp015964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Baylor D. A., Nunn B. J., Schnapf J. L. The photocurrent, noise and spectral sensitivity of rods of the monkey Macaca fascicularis. J Physiol. 1984 Dec;357:575–607. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015518. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Coles J. A., Yamane S. Effects of adapting lights on the time course of the receptor potential of the anuran retinal rod. J Physiol. 1975 May;247(1):189–207. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1975.sp010927. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Copenhagen D. R., Green D. G. The absence of spread of adaptation between rod photoreceptors in turtle retina. J Physiol. 1985 Dec;369:161–181. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1985.sp015894. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Dowling J. E., Ripps H. Adaptation in skate photoreceptors. J Gen Physiol. 1972 Dec;60(6):698–719. doi: 10.1085/jgp.60.6.698. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Fain G. L. Sensitivity of toad rods: Dependence on wave-length and background illumination. J Physiol. 1976 Sep;261(1):71–101. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011549. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gold G. H. Plasma membrane calcium fluxes in intact rods are inconsistent with the "calcium hypothesis". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Feb;83(4):1150–1154. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.4.1150. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Green D. G. Light adaptation in the rat retina: evidence for two receptor mechanisms. Science. 1971 Nov 5;174(4009):598–600. doi: 10.1126/science.174.4009.598. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Hodgkin A. L., McNaughton P. A., Nunn B. J., Yau K. W. Effect of ions on retinal rods from Bufo marinus. J Physiol. 1984 May;350:649–680. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Hodgkin A. L., Nunn B. J. Control of light-sensitive current in salamander rods. J Physiol. 1988 Sep;403:439–471. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1988.sp017258. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Hughes A. Topographical relationships between the anatomy and physiology of the rabbit visual system. Doc Ophthalmol. 1971 Sep 12;30:33–159. doi: 10.1007/BF00142518. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kawamura S., Murakami M. Regulation of cGMP levels by guanylate cyclase in truncated frog rod outer segments. J Gen Physiol. 1989 Oct;94(4):649–668. doi: 10.1085/jgp.94.4.649. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Kleinschmidt J., Dowling J. E. Intracellular recordings from gecko photoreceptors during light and dark adaptation. J Gen Physiol. 1975 Nov;66(5):617–648. doi: 10.1085/jgp.66.5.617. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Koch K. W., Stryer L. Highly cooperative feedback control of retinal rod guanylate cyclase by calcium ions. Nature. 1988 Jul 7;334(6177):64–66. doi: 10.1038/334064a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Leibovic K. N., Dowling J. E., Kim Y. Y. Background and bleaching equivalence in steady-state adaptation of vertebrate rods. J Neurosci. 1987 Apr;7(4):1056–1063. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.07-04-01056.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Matthews H. R., Murphy R. L., Fain G. L., Lamb T. D. Photoreceptor light adaptation is mediated by cytoplasmic calcium concentration. Nature. 1988 Jul 7;334(6177):67–69. doi: 10.1038/334067a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Miller D. L., Korenbrot J. I. Kinetics of light-dependent Ca fluxes across the plasma membrane of rod outer segments. A dynamic model of the regulation of the cytoplasmic Ca concentration. J Gen Physiol. 1987 Sep;90(3):397–425. doi: 10.1085/jgp.90.3.397. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Nakatani K., Yau K. W. Calcium and light adaptation in retinal rods and cones. Nature. 1988 Jul 7;334(6177):69–71. doi: 10.1038/334069a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Nakatani K., Yau K. W. Calcium and magnesium fluxes across the plasma membrane of the toad rod outer segment. J Physiol. 1988 Jan;395:695–729. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1988.sp016942. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Nakatani K., Yau K. W. Sodium-dependent calcium extrusion and sensitivity regulation in retinal cones of the salamander. J Physiol. 1989 Feb;409:525–548. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1989.sp017511. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Normann R. A., Werblin F. S. Control of retinal sensitivity. I. Light and dark adaptation of vertebrate rods and cones. J Gen Physiol. 1974 Jan;63(1):37–61. doi: 10.1085/jgp.63.1.37. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Penn R. D., Hagins W. A. Kinetics of the photocurrent of retinal rods. Biophys J. 1972 Aug;12(8):1073–1094. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(72)86145-9. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Pugh E., Altman J. Phototransduction. A role for calcium in adaptation. Nature. 1988 Jul 7;334(6177):16–17. doi: 10.1038/334016a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Ratto G. M., Payne R., Owen W. G., Tsien R. Y. The concentration of cytosolic free calcium in vertebrate rod outer segments measured with fura-2. J Neurosci. 1988 Sep;8(9):3240–3246. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.08-09-03240.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Steinberg R. H. Incremental responses to light recorded from pigment epithelial cells and horizontal cells of the cat retina. J Physiol. 1971 Aug;217(1):93–110. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1971.sp009561. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Tamura T., Nakatani K., Yau K. W. Light adaptation in cat retinal rods. Science. 1989 Aug 18;245(4919):755–758. doi: 10.1126/science.2772634. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Torre V., Matthews H. R., Lamb T. D. Role of calcium in regulating the cyclic GMP cascade of phototransduction in retinal rods. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Sep;83(18):7109–7113. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.18.7109. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Yau K. W., Baylor D. A. Cyclic GMP-activated conductance of retinal photoreceptor cells. Annu Rev Neurosci. 1989;12:289–327. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ne.12.030189.001445. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Yau K. W., Nakatani K. Light-induced reduction of cytoplasmic free calcium in retinal rod outer segment. Nature. 1985 Feb 14;313(6003):579–582. doi: 10.1038/313579a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of General Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES