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The planarian TRPA1 homolog mediates extraocular behavioral responses to near-ultraviolet light

Overview of attention for article published in Journal of Experimental Biology, January 2017
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  • In the top 25% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (92nd percentile)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (87th percentile)

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2 news outlets
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7 X users

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Title
The planarian TRPA1 homolog mediates extraocular behavioral responses to near-ultraviolet light
Published in
Journal of Experimental Biology, January 2017
DOI 10.1242/jeb.152298
Pubmed ID
Authors

Taylor R. Birkholz, Wendy S. Beane

Abstract

Although light is most commonly thought of as a visual cue, many animals possess mechanisms to detect light outside of the eye for various functions, including predator avoidance, circadian rhythms, phototaxis, and migration. Similar to C. elegans, leeches, and Drosophila larvae, we confirmed that planarians are also capable of detecting and responding to light using extraocular photoreception. We found that when either eyeless or decapitated worms were exposed to near ultraviolet (UV) light, intense wildtype photophobic behaviors were still observed. Our data also revealed that behavioral responses to green wavelengths were mediated by ocular mechanisms, whereas near UV responses were driven by extraocular mechanisms. As part of a candidate screen to uncover the genetic basis of extraocular photoreception in the planarian species Schmidtea mediterranea, we identified a potential role for a homolog of the transient receptor potential channel A1 (TRPA1) in mediating behavioral responses to extraocular light cues. RNA interference (RNAi) to Smed-TrpA resulted in worms that lacked extraocular photophobic responses to near UV light, a mechanism previously only identified in Drosophila These data show that the planarian TRPA1 homolog is required for planarian extraocular light avoidance and may represent a potential ancestral function of this gene. TRPA1 is an evolutionarily conserved detector of temperature and chemical irritants, including reactive oxygen species that are byproducts of UV light exposure. Our results suggest that planarians possess extraocular photoreception and display an unconventional TRPA1-mediated photophobic response to near UV light.

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X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 7 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 59 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Germany 1 2%
Unknown 58 98%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 10 17%
Student > Bachelor 10 17%
Researcher 7 12%
Professor > Associate Professor 6 10%
Student > Master 5 8%
Other 5 8%
Unknown 16 27%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 14 24%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 9 15%
Neuroscience 6 10%
Environmental Science 2 3%
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 1 2%
Other 6 10%
Unknown 21 36%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 23. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 16 May 2023.
All research outputs
#1,608,932
of 25,382,440 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Experimental Biology
#960
of 9,331 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#32,404
of 421,709 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Experimental Biology
#44
of 347 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,382,440 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 93rd percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 9,331 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 14.9. This one has done well, scoring higher than 89% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 421,709 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 92% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 347 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 87% of its contemporaries.