%0 Journal Article
%T Differentially-expressed opsin genes identified in Sinocyclo-cheilus cavefish endemic to China
%A Fanwei MENG
%A Yahui ZHAO
%A John H. POSTLETHWAIT
%A Chunguang ZHANG
%J Current Zoology
%D 2013
%I Current Zoology
%X Eye degeneration is a common troglomorphic character of cave-dwelling organisms. Comparing the morphology and molecular biology of cave species and their close surface relatives is a powerful tool for studying regressive eye evolution and other adaptive phenotypes. We compared two co-occurring and closely-related species of the fish genus Sinocyclocheilus, which is endemic to China and includes both surface- and cave-dwelling species. Sinocyclocheilus tileihornes, a cave species, had smaller eyes than Sinocyclocheilus angustiporus, a surface species. Histological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the cave-fish had shorter cones and more disorderly rods than did the surface-dwelling species. Using quantitative PCR and in situ hybri-dization, we found that rhodopsin and a long-wavelength sensitive opsin had significantly lower expression levels in the cavefish. Furthermore, one of two short-wavelength-sensitive opsins was expressed at significantly higher levels in the cavefish. Changes in the expression of opsin genes may have played a role in the degeneration of cavefish eyes [Current Zoology 59 (2): 170¨C174, 2013].
%K Sinocyclocheilus
%K Cavefish
%K Eye
%K Retina
%K Opsin
%U http://www.currentzoology.org/paperdetail.asp?id=12205