Biochemistry of Retina & RPE

Reading materials:

• “Fundamentals and Principles of Ophthalmology”, Chapters 14 and 15.
• “Molecular Cell Biology”, 2nd edition by Darnell, Lodish and Baltimore. Chapter 20 – Nerve cells and the electric properties of cell membranes
• Webvision. http://webvision.med.utah.edu 

 
Questions for students and residents to consider:
Anatomy and retinal circuits: 

• What cellular layers are there in the retina?
• How are rods different from cones in terms of structure?
• What are ON and OFF pathways and their molecular bases?
• What is the cellular basis for the high spatial acuity in the fovea?

Phototransduction:

• How is the energy of light illumination absorbed by photoreceptors?
• What are the major steps of phototransduction?
• What is the dark current?
• What neurotransmitter do rods and cones release?
• Does light stimulation increase the release of the neurotransmitter or reduce it? Why are rods responsible for nighttime vision and cones for daytime vision? What is light adaptation?

Color vision:

• What is trivariant color vision?
• Assume that you have generated a transgenic mice model that has only red cones; do you think the mice will see the world in red?

 RPE:

• What are the major functions of the RPE?
• What is the retinoid visual cycle?