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Adult albino mammals have specific retinal defects, including reduced numbers of rod photoreceptors. To examine when this rod deficit arises and whether it exists in nonmammalian albinos, we have used absorbance spectrophotometry to measure photopigment levels in dark-adapted eyes taken from three groups of pigmented and albino animals: adult rodents (rats and mice), developing rats, and mature Xenopus frogs. Rhodopsin concentrations were consistently and significantly reduced in mammalian albinos compared to their wild-type counterparts from before the time of eye opening, but photopigment levels were similar in frogs of both pigmentation phenotypes. The results strongly suggest that deficits in the rod cell population arise early in development of the mammalian albino retina, but do not generalize to nonmammalian mutants lacking retinal melanin.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Vis Neurosci

Publication Date

03/2001

Volume

18

Pages

245 - 251

Keywords

Albinism, Ocular, Animals, Animals, Newborn, Dark Adaptation, Female, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred CBA, Microspectrophotometry, Rats, Rats, Mutant Strains, Rats, Wistar, Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells, Rhodopsin, Xenopus laevis