Washington Ilyas author Columbia University. Ophthalmology Zhou Jilin author Columbia University. Ophthalmology Jockusch Steffen author Columbia University. Chemistry Turro Nicholas J. author Columbia University. Chemistry Columbia University. Chemical Engineering Columbia University. Earth and Environmental Engineering Nakanishi Koji author Columbia University. Chemistry Sparrow Janet R. author Columbia University. Ophthalmology Columbia University. Pathology and Cell Biology Columbia University. Chemistry originator text Articles 2007 English The primary event in vision is light-initiated activation of visual pigments. All visual pigments consist of the protein opsin bound to 11-cis-retinal and are responsible for initiating the transformation of light into an electrical signal. In a mouse model, we show that derivatives of chlorophyll can act as visual pigments initiating the transformation of light into an electrical signal and thus change the primary event in vision to initial activation of a chlorophyll derivative. Electroretinographic b-wave amplitudes recorded in response to red and blue light were two-fold greater in mice administered chlorin e6, which accumulated in photoreceptor outer segments. Chemistry 6 7 775 779 2007 http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/b618104j http://hdl.handle.net/10022/AC:P:8601 NNC NNC 2010-03-24 12:28:27 -0400 2013-02-19 15:35:40 -0500 1009 eng