Photoreceptor can refer to: In anatomy/cell biology: *

Photoreceptor cell A photoreceptor cell is a specialized type of neuroepithelial cell found in the retina that is capable of visual phototransduction. The great biological importance of photoreceptors is that they convert light (visible electromagnetic radiation ...

, a photosensitive cell in the retina of vertebrate eyes *

Simple eye in invertebrates A simple eye or ocellus (sometimes called a pigment pit) is a form of eye or an optical arrangement which has a single lens without the sort of elaborate retina that occurs in most vertebrates. These eyes are called "simple" to distinguish the ...

(Ocellus), photoreceptor organ ("simple eye") of invertebrates often composed of a few sensory cells and a single lens *

Eyespot apparatus The eyespot apparatus (or '' stigma'') is a photoreceptive organelle found in the flagellate or (motile) cells of green algae and other unicellular photosynthetic organisms such as euglenids. It allows the cells to sense light direction and int ...

(microbial photoreceptor), the photoreceptor organelle of a unicellular organism that allows for phototaxis In biochemistry: *

Photoreceptor protein Photoreceptor proteins are light-sensitive proteins involved in the sensing and response to light in a variety of organisms. Some examples are rhodopsin in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebrate retina, phytochrome in plants, and bacteriorhod ...

, a chromoprotein that responds to being exposed to a certain wavelength of light by initiating a signal transduction cascade *

Photopigment Photopigments are unstable pigments that undergo a chemical change when they absorb light. The term is generally applied to the non-protein chromophore Moiety (chemistry), moiety of photosensitive chromoproteins, such as the pigments involved in ph ...

, an unstable pigment that undergoes a physical or chemical change upon absorbing a particular wavelength of light; also see **

Photosynthetic pigment A photosynthetic pigment (accessory pigment; chloroplast pigment; antenna pigment) is a pigment that is present in chloroplasts or photosynthetic bacteria and captures the light energy necessary for photosynthesis. List of photosynthetic pigmen ...

, molecules involved in transducing light into chemical energy In technology: *

Photodetector Photodetectors, also called photosensors, are devices that detect light or other forms of electromagnetic radiation and convert it into an electrical signal. They are essential in a wide range of applications, from digital imaging and optical ...

or photosensor, a device that detects light by capturing photons

See also