1997/02/01 by James Bellingham, Susan E. Wilkie, Alex Morris +2 · 1 citation
Neuroscience · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · #Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research #Plant and animal studies #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Opsin #Biology #Photopigment #Rhodopsin #Gene #Vertebrate #Ultraviolet light #Insect #Phylogenetic tree #Honey bee #Coding region #Genetics #Evolutionary biology #Botany #Chemistry #Retinal #Photochemistry
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1432-1033.1997.00775.x
openalex publication_date 1997/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/19
The cDNA sequence of the ultraviolet-sensitive opsin in the honey-bee, Apis mellifera, with associated 5' and 3' untranslated regions, is presented. The analysis of genomic structure reveals seven introns in the coding region of the gene, with six at novel positions for an insect opsin gene. The equivalent site to the counterion in vertebrate opsins is occupied by a Tyr residue. This contrasts with the presence of Phe at this site in the ultraviolet-sensitive opsins of Drosophila sps. A comparison of the amino acid sequence within the seven alpha-helical transmembrane regions of insect ultraviolet/blue-sensitive opsins identifies substitution at five sites that involve either replacement of a polar with a non-polar residue, or a change in charge. Such changes are known to result in spectral shifts in vertebrate pigments. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the ultraviolet-sensitive pigments represent an ancient class of insect opsins.