Fighting Blindness: TSRI Scientists Bring a Key Protein into Focus JUPITER, FL March 6, 2017 Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered how a protein called 2 4 establishes proper vision. Their research helps explain why mutations in the gene encoding 2 4 lead to retinal dystrophy, a disease characterized by defective color vision and night blindness.
To study how this protein supports vision, the researchers modeled retinal dystrophy in mice. Like humans, mice lacking 2 4 succumbed to the disease and their vision was compromised.
Much of our work is driven by desire to understand what goes awry in a range of blinding conditions, explained TSRI Professor Kirill A. Martemyanov, senior author of the new study. Now we have found a molecule that plays a key role in allowing photoreceptors to plug into the neural circuit and transmit the light signals they receive to the brain.
The study was published online recently in the journal Neuron.
A Secret Ingredient for Vision
Our vision depends on two types of photoreceptors in the light-sensitive layer of eye called the retina. Rods photoreceptors detect photons at the lowest levels of light and support night vision, and cone photoreceptors sense bright light and discriminate between colors. Both rods and cones must wire into a neural circuit of the retina to send information to the brain.
Martemyanov and his colleagues are studying the neural connections that make vision possible. In a previous study, the researchers identified a novel cell-adhesion protein called ELFN1 that rods use for making contacts with their partners, called bipolar neurons. However, how ELFN1 accomplishes the task of photoreceptor wiring was not clear.
In the new study, experiments spearheaded by TSRI Research Associate Yuchen Wang of the Martemyanov laboratory showed that this connectivity requires 2 4 to join a structure, called a higher order macromolecular complex, with ELFN1 and other proteins called calcium channels. These calcium channels trigger the release of the chemical messenger glutamate, which photoreceptors use for communicating with bipolar neurons.
In short, Wang explained, without both 2 4 and the other calcium channels in the macromolecular complex, rods cannot connect to the neural circuit. We found that 2 4 is essential for organizing the presynaptic compartment of rod photoreceptors, he said.
Strikingly, eliminating the corresponding gene for 2 4 in a mouse model interrupted the transmission of light signals from photoreceptors to the brain without affecting the ability to detect light. It's like you are trying to make a phone call and your phone is fully functional but you are not heard because there is no signal, Martemyanov said.
Cones seemed to handle the lack of 2 4 only slightly better. Without the 2 4, mice failed to see under dim light conditions and could not navigate a maze in low light due to their dysfunctional rods. Their cones were affected too, but they could still send some weak signals through to the brain.
Their dim-light vision was completely abolished, said Martemyanov. And the signal from the cones could barely make it.
Wang said the researchers are doing more research now to account for this difference between rods and cones.
A Potential Way to Keep Eyes Healthy
Going forward, Martemyanov and his team plan to study whether manipulating 2 4 could help photoreceptors transmit their signals and maintain connectivity to stay functional longer in models of age-related vision loss, a major blinding condition in humans.
If we can entice dying photoreceptors to augment their communication with the retina circuitry and preserve the connections they make, we can likely delay the loss of vision in degenerative conditions like age-related macular degeneration, Martemyanov said.
The researchers also think that wiring factors such as 2 4 and ELFN1 could also help researchers address a current challenge in using stem cells to correct vision loss.
Martemyanov explained that current efforts of many laboratories are currently directed towards replacing dead photoreceptor cells with stem cell-derived rods and cones as a strategy to restore vision; however, integrating the new photoreceptors into the retina circuit has been a challenge. The new study suggests that 2 4 may be the secret ingredient for getting these new cells to properly wire into the neural circuit.
In addition to Martemyanov and Wang, authors of the study, The Auxiliary Calcium Channel Subunit 2 4 Is Required for Axonal Elaboration, Synaptic Transmission, and Wiring of Rod Photoreceptors, were Yan Cao, Ignacio Sarria, Ben Throesch and Kristin Baldwin also of TSRI; Katherine E. Fehlhaber, Norianne T. Ingram and Alapakkam P. Sampath of the Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles; Debbie Guerrero-Given and Naomi Kamasawa of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience; and Toshihisa Ohtsuka of the University of Yamanashi.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants EY018139, EY017606 and EY000331) and an Unrestricted Grant from Research to Prevent Blindness to the Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles.
About The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the worlds largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs more than 2,500 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupi
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...
Fighting Blindness: TSRI Scientists Bring a Key Protein into Focus JUPITER, FL March 6, 2017 Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered how a protein called 2 4 establishes proper vision. Their research helps explain why mutations in the gene encoding 2 4 lead to retinal dystrophy, a disease characterized by defective color vision and night blindness.
