Whale shark rhodopsin adapted to deep-sea lifestyle by a substitution associated with human disease

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• Main Authors: Yamaguchi, Kazuaki, Koyanagi, Mitsumasa, Sato, Keiichi, Terakita, Akihisa, Kuraku, Shigehiro
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: National Academy of Sciences 2023
• Subjects: Biological Sciences; Antarctic; Rho; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10068813/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36943890; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2220728120

Spectral tuning of visual pigments often facilitates adaptation to new environments, and it is intriguing to study the visual ecology of pelagic sharks with secondarily expanded habitats. The whale shark, which dives into the deep sea of nearly 2,000 meters besides near-surface filter feeding, was p...