| Term: | retinal cone cell synapse |
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| Note: | This page represents a term created by the combination ("post-composition") of two ontology terms. For more information on the individual terms, click the hyperlinked name. |
| Name: | retinal cone cell |
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| Synonyms: | retinal cone cells |
| Definition: | One of the two photoreceptor cell types in the vertebrate retina. In cones the photopigment is in invaginations of the cell membrane of the outer segment. Cones are less sensitive to light than rods, but they provide vision with higher spatial and temporal acuity, and the combination of signals from cones with different pigments allows color vision. |
| Ontology: | Anatomy Ontology [ZFA:0009262] |
| Name: | synapse |
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| Synonyms: | electrotonic synapse, mixed synapse, synaptic junction |
| Definition: | The junction between an axon of one neuron and a dendrite of another neuron, a muscle fiber or a glial cell. As the axon approaches the synapse it enlarges into a specialized structure, the presynaptic terminal bouton, which contains mitochondria and synaptic vesicles. At the tip of the terminal bouton is the presynaptic membrane; facing it, and separated from it by a minute cleft (the synaptic cleft) is a specialized area of membrane on the receiving cell, known as the postsynaptic membrane. In response to the arrival of nerve impulses, the presynaptic terminal bouton secretes molecules of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft. These diffuse across the cleft and transmit the signal to the postsynaptic membrane. |
| Ontology: | GO: Cellular Component [GO:0045202] QuickGO AmiGO |