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Unique nuclear architecture of rod photoreceptor cells: adaptation to nocturnal vision by Pavel Němec.

It has been recently shown that nuclear architecture of rods differs fundamentally in nocturnal and diurnal mammals (Solovei et al., Cell 137(2), 356–368, 2009). The rods of diurnal retinae possess the conventional architecture with most heterochromatin situated at the nuclear periphery and euchromatin residing toward the nuclear inferior. The rods of nocturnal retinae have a unique inverted pattern, where heterochromatin localizes in the nuclear centre, whereas euchromatin lines the nuclear border. The inverted rod nuclei act as collecting lenses that channel light toward light sensing rod outer segments. Other structural elements such as the Müller glial cells (Franze et al., PNAS, 104(20), 8287–8292, 2007) and tightly packed mitochondria in the inner photoreceptor segments also facilitate light transmission through the retina.

Figures were kindly provided by Irina Solovei, Boris Joffe and Leo Peichl.