Blue-sensitive opsin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the OPN1SWgene.[5][6][7] The OPN1SW gene provides instructions for making a protein that is essential for normal color vision. This protein is found in the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.[8]
The OPN1SW gene provides instructions for making an opsin pigment that is more sensitive to light in the blue/violet part of the visible spectrum (short-wavelength light). Cones with this pigment are called short-wavelength-sensitive or S cones.[8] In response to light, the photopigment triggers a series of chemical reactions within an S cone. These reactions ultimately alter the cell's electrical charge, generating a signal that is transmitted to the brain. The brain combines input from all three types of cones to produce normal color vision.[8]
Oprian DD, Asenjo AB, Lee N, Pelletier SL (1992). "Design, chemical synthesis, and expression of genes for the three human color vision pigments". Biochemistry. 30 (48): 11367–72. doi:10.1021/bi00112a002. PMID1742276.
Gunther KL, Neitz J, Neitz M (2006). "A novel mutation in the short-wavelength-sensitive cone pigment gene associated with a tritan color vision defect". Vis. Neurosci. 23 (3–4): 403–9. doi:10.1017/S0952523806233169. PMID16961973. S2CID3748083.
