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DOI: 10.1177/074873099129000380 Photoentrainment in Mammals: A Role for Cryptochrome?Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine There is growing evidence in support of the hypothesis that, in mammals,photoreceptive tasks are segregated into those associated with creating adetailed visual image of the environment and those involved in the photicregulation of temporal biology. The hypothesis that this segregation extends tothe use of different photoreceptors remains unproven, but published reportsfrom several mammalian species that circadian photoentrainment survives adegree of retinal degeneration sufficient to induce visual blindness suggest thatthis may be so. This has lead to speculation that mammals might employ adedicated 'circadian photoreceptor' distinct from the rod and cone cells of thevisual system. The location and nature of this putative circadian photoreceptorhas become a matter of conjecture. The latest candidates to be put forward aspotential circadian photopigments are the mammalian cryptochrome proteins(CRY1 and 2), putative vitamin-B2 based photopigments. To date, publishedexperimental evidence falls short of a definitive demonstration that these proteinsform the basis of circadian photoreception in mammals. Consequently, thisreview aims to assess their suitability for this task in light of what we knowregarding the biology of the cyrptochromes and the nature of mammalianphotoentrainment.
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