A new receptor protein, LITE-1, was found among a family of taste receptors in invertebrates, meaning that these animals may actually have a taste perception of light.
Credit: ? Josiah Garber / Fotolia




An international team of scientists led by the University of Michigan has discovered a new type of photoreceptor -- only the third to be found in animals -- that is about 50 times more efficient at capturing light than the rhodopsin in the human eye.


The new receptor protein, LITE-1, was found among a family of taste receptors in invertebrates, and has unusual characteristics that suggest potential future applications ranging from sunscreen to scientific research tools, the team noted in findings scheduled to be published Nov. 17 in the journal Cell.
"Our experiments also raise the intriguing possibility that it might be possible to genetically engineer other new types of photoreceptors," said senior study author Shawn Xu, a faculty member of the U-M Life Sciences Institute, where his lab is located.


The LITE-1 receptor was discovered in the eyeless, millimeter-long roundworms known as nematodes, a common model organism in bioscience research.


More: https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...1117134629.htm