| First Author | Jacobs GH | Year | 2007 |
| Journal | Science | Volume | 315 |
| Issue | 5819 | Pages | 1723-5 |
| PubMed ID | 17379811 | Mgi Jnum | J:119445 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3702226 | Doi | 10.1126/science.1138838 |
| Citation | Jacobs GH, et al. (2007) Emergence of novel color vision in mice engineered to express a human cone photopigment. Science 315(5819):1723-5 |
| abstractText | Changes in the genes encoding sensory receptor proteins are an essential step in the evolution of new sensory capacities. In primates, trichromatic color vision evolved after changes in X chromosome-linked photopigment genes. To model this process, we studied knock-in mice that expressed a human long-wavelength-sensitive (L) cone photopigment in the form of an X-linked polymorphism. Behavioral tests demonstrated that heterozygous females, whose retinas contained both native mouse pigments and human L pigment, showed enhanced long-wavelength sensitivity and acquired a new capacity for chromatic discrimination. An inherent plasticity in the mammalian visual system thus permits the emergence of a new dimension of sensory experience based solely on gene-driven changes in receptor organization. |
