Mon Prof Augmenté
Waking a Dormant Photoreceptor
Age 18 · Biology
In some forms of blindness, photoreceptor cells stay in the retina but no longer respond to light. Gene therapy delivers a gene for a light-sensitive protein into those cells so they can signal light again.
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In the picture
- Delivery capsule: a shell carrying genetic material
- DNA strand: the gene for a light-sensitive protein, threading into the cell
- Dormant photoreceptor: a pale cell that no longer responds to light
- Woken photoreceptor: a cell filled with the light-sensitive protein, glowing green
- Light beam: the light the woken cell can now detect and signal
Examples
- A phone with a flat battery: nothing is broken, it just needs energy to work again.
- An intact solar panel that only produces current once the circuit is connected.
Key takeaways
- The photoreceptor cells are still present; they have simply stopped responding to light.
- The delivered gene gives them a light-sensitive protein, restoring their ability to send signals.
Quiz: Waking a Dormant Photoreceptor (Age 18)
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What happens to the photoreceptor cells in this condition before gene therapy?
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What does the gene therapy deliver into the dormant photoreceptor cells?
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What does the light-sensitive protein restore in the woken photoreceptor?
The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.
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