Decades of studies on Drosophila vision have revealed multiple components required for the signaling events upon light stimulation. Light first turns on the photosensitive rhodopsin and, following several intermediate steps, leads to activation of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels. Lipids are thought to lead to opening of TRP channels and stimulation of photoreceptor cells. However, the essential lipid molecules that directly activate TRP channels were unclear. In this study, researchers identified an endocannabinoid that plays important roles in the channel activation in photoreceptor cells.
Click here for original story, A lipid required for vision identified in fruit flies
Source: Phys.org