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Zhang X, Wang X, Zhu H, Zhang D, Chen J, Wen Y, Li Y, Jin L, Xie C, Guo D, Luo T, Tong J, Zhou Y, Shen Y. Short-wavelength artificial light affects visual neural pathway development in mice. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 263:115282. [PMID: 37494734 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Nearly all modern life depends on artificial light; however, it does cause health problems. With certain restrictions of artificial light emitting technology, the influence of the light spectrum is inevitable. The most remarkable problem is its overload in the short wavelength component. Short wavelength artificial light has a wide range of influences from ocular development to mental problems. The visual neuronal pathway, as the primary light-sensing structure, may contain the fundamental mechanism of all light-induced abnormalities. However, how the artificial light spectrum shapes the visual neuronal pathway during development in mammals is poorly understood. We placed C57BL/6 mice in three different spectrum environments (full-spectrum white light: 400-750 nm; violet light: 400 ± 20 nm; green light: 510 ± 20 nm) beginning at eye opening, with a fixed light time of 7:00-19:00. During development, we assessed the ocular axial dimension, visual function and retinal neurons. After two weeks under short wavelength conditions, the ocular axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD) and length of lens thickness, real vitreous chamber depth and retinal thickness (LLVR) were shorter, visual acuity (VA) decreased, and retinal electrical activity was impaired. The density of S-cones in the dorsal and ventral retinas both decreased after one week under short wavelength conditions. In the ventral retina, it increased after three weeks. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) density and axon thickness were not influenced; however, the axonal terminals in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) were less clustered and sparse. Amacrine cells (ACs) were significantly more activated. Green light has few effects. The KEGG and GO enrichment analyses showed that many genes related to neural circuitry, synaptic formation and neurotransmitter function were differentially expressed in the short wavelength light group. In conclusion, exposure to short wavelength artificial light in the early stage of vision-dependent development in mice delayed the development of the visual pathway. The axon terminus structure and neurotransmitter function may be the major suffering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuhong Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Hong Zhu
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Dongyan Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Department of Ophthalmology, Shaoxing Central Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang 312030, China
| | - Jinbo Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yingying Wen
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yanqing Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Le Jin
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Chen Xie
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Dongyu Guo
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Ting Luo
- Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Agroproduct Safety and Nutrition, China
| | - Jianping Tong
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
| | - Yudong Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China; Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
| | - Ye Shen
- Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
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2
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Naggert ASEN, Collin GB, Wang J, Krebs MP, Chang B. A mouse model of cone photoreceptor function loss (cpfl9) with degeneration due to a mutation in Gucy2e. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 15:1080136. [PMID: 36698779 PMCID: PMC9868315 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1080136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
During routine screening of mouse strains and stocks by the Eye Mutant Resource at The Jackson Laboratory for genetic mouse models of human ocular disorders, we identified cpfl9, a mouse model with cone photoreceptor function loss. The mice exhibited an early-onset phenotype that was easily recognized by the absence of a cone-mediated b-wave electroretinography response and by a reduction in rod-mediated photoresponses at four weeks of age. By genetic mapping and high-throughput sequencing of a whole exome capture library of cpfl9, a homozygous 25 bp deletion within exon 11 of the Gucy2e gene was identified, which is predicted to result in a frame shift leading to premature termination. The corresponding protein in human, retinal guanylate cyclase 1 (GUCY2D), plays an important role in rod and cone photoreceptor cell function. Loss-of-function mutations in human GUCY2D cause LCA1, one of the most common forms of Leber congenital amaurosis, which results in blindness at birth or in early childhood. The early loss of cone and reduced rod photoreceptor cell function in the cpfl9 mutant is accompanied by a later, progressive loss of cone and rod photoreceptor cells, which may be relevant to understanding disease pathology in a subset of LCA1 patients and in individuals with cone-rod dystrophy caused by recessive GUCY2D variants. cpfl9 mice will be useful for studying the role of Gucy2e in the retina.
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Wang Y, Wong J, Duncan JL, Roorda A, Tuten WS. Enhanced S-cone Syndrome, a Mini-review. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1415:189-194. [PMID: 37440033 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-27681-1_28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Enhanced S-cone Syndrome (ESCS) is an autosomal recessive inherited retinal disease mostly associated with disease-causing variants in the NR2E3 gene. During retinal development in ESCS, rod photoreceptor precursors are misdirected to form photoreceptors similar to short-wavelength cones, or S-cones. Compared to a normal human retina, patients with ESCS have no rods and significantly increased numbers of S-cones. Night blindness is the main visual symptom, and visual acuity and color vision can be normal at early disease stages. Histology of donor eyes and adaptive optics imaging revealed increased S-cone density outside of the fovea compared to normal. Visual function testing reveals absent rod function and abnormally enhanced sensitivity to short-wavelength light. Unlike most retinal degenerative diseases, ESCS results in a gain in S-cone photoreceptor function. Research involving ESCS could improve understanding of this rare retinal condition and also shed light on the role of NR2E3 expression in photoreceptor survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyi Wang
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Jessica Wong
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jacque L Duncan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Austin Roorda
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - William S Tuten
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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4
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Énzsöly A, Hajdú RI, Turóczi Z, Szalai I, Tátrai E, Pálya F, Nagy ZZ, Mátyás C, Oláh A, Radovits T, Szabó K, Dékány B, Szabó A, Kusnyerik Á, Soltész P, Veres DS, Somogyi A, Somfai GM, Lukáts Á. The Predictive Role of Thyroid Hormone Levels for Early Diabetic Retinal Changes in Experimental Rat and Human Diabetes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2021; 62:20. [PMID: 34010957 PMCID: PMC8142702 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.62.6.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose In diabetic subjects, early visual functional alterations such as color vision deficiencies (CVDs) are known to precede clinically apparent diabetic retinopathy. Prominent photoreceptor outer segment degeneration and an increase in the number of retinal dual cones (co-expressing S- and M-opsins simultaneously) have been described in diabetic rat models, suggesting a connection with the development of CVDs. As cone opsin expression is controlled by thyroid hormones, we investigated the diabetic retina in association with thyroid hormone alterations. Methods In rat models of type 1 and 2 diabetes, dual cones were labeled by immunohistochemistry, and their numbers were analyzed in relation to free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels. Quantification of dual cones was also performed in human postmortem retinas. Additionally, a cross-sectional case–control study was performed where thyroid hormone levels were measured and color vision was assessed with Lanthony desaturated D15 discs. Results A higher number of dual cones was detectable in diabetic rats, correlating with fT4 levels. Dual cones were also present in postmortem human retinas, with higher numbers in the three diabetic retinas. As expected, age was strongly associated with CVDs in human patients, and the presence of diabetes also increased the risk. However, the current study failed to detect any effect of thyroid hormones on the development of CVDs. Conclusions Our results point toward the involvement of thyroid homeostasis in the opsin expression changes in diabetic rats and human samples. The evaluation of the possible clinical consequences warrants further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Énzsöly
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rozina I Hajdú
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Turóczi
- 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Irén Szalai
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Erika Tátrai
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Fanni Pálya
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Z Nagy
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Csaba Mátyás
- Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Oláh
- Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Radovits
- Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Klaudia Szabó
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bulcsú Dékány
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Arnold Szabó
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ákos Kusnyerik
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Petra Soltész
- 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dániel S Veres
- Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anikó Somogyi
- 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor M Somfai
- Department of Ophthalmology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Eye Clinic, Stadtspital Waid and Triemli, Zürich, Switzerland.,Werner H. Spross Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Teaching in Ophthalmology, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ákos Lukáts
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
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5
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Novales Flamarique I, Sayed Ahmed A, Cheng CL, Molday RS, Devlin RH. Growth hormone regulates opsin expression in the retina of a salmonid fish. J Neuroendocrinol 2019; 31:e12804. [PMID: 31630448 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Colour vision relies on retinal photoreceptors that express a different predominant visual pigment protein (opsin). In several vertebrates, the primary opsin expressed by a photoreceptor can change throughout ontogeny, although the molecular factors that influence such regulation are poorly understood. One of these factors is thyroid hormone which, together with its receptors, modulates opsin expression in the retinas of multiple vertebrates including rodents and salmonid fishes. In the latter, thyroid hormone induces a switch in opsin expression from SWS1 (ultraviolet light sensitive) to SWS2 (short wavelength or blue light sensitive) in the single cone photoreceptors of the retina. The actions of other hormones on opsin expression have not been investigated. In the present study, we used a transgenic strain of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kitsutch) with enhanced levels of circulating growth hormone compared to that of wild siblings to assess the effects of this hormone on the SWS1 to SWS2 opsin switch. Transgenic fish showed a developmentally accelerated opsin switch compared to size-matched controls as assessed by immunohistological and in situ hybridisation labelling of photoreceptors and by quantification of transcripts using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. This accelerated switch led to a different spectral sensitivity maximum, under a middle to long wavelength adapting background, from ultraviolet (λmax ~ 380 nm) in controls to short wavelengths (λmax ~ 430 nm) in transgenics, demonstrating altered colour vision. The effects of growth hormone over-expression were independent of circulating levels of thyroid hormone (triiodothyronine), the hormone typically associated with opsin switches in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inigo Novales Flamarique
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Ahmed Sayed Ahmed
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Christiana L Cheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Robert S Molday
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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6
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Garafalo AV, Calzetti G, Cideciyan AV, Roman AJ, Saxena S, Sumaroka A, Choi W, Wright AF, Jacobson SG. Cone Vision Changes in the Enhanced S-Cone Syndrome Caused by NR2E3 Gene Mutations. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2019; 59:3209-3219. [PMID: 29971438 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.18-24518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To determine the progression of cone vision loss in patients with recessive disease from NR2E3 gene mutations. Methods Patients with NR2E3 mutations (n = 37) were studied as a retrospective observational case series clinically and with chromatic static perimetry. Patients were investigated cross-sectionally, and a subset was followed longitudinally. Results Patients showed a range of visual acuities; there was no clear relationship to age. With kinetic perimetry (V4e target), a full field could be retained over many years. Other patients showed progression from a full field, with or without pericentral scotomas, to a small central island. Three patterns of S-cone function were defined, based on percentage of hypersensitive S-cone loci in the field. From occupying most of the visual field, hyperfunctioning S-cone loci could diminish in percent, remaining largely in the periphery. Normal S-cone functioning then dominates, followed by the appearance of an annular region of abnormal S-cone loci approximately 10° to 40° from the fovea. Overall, S-cone sensitivity declined 2.6 times faster than L/M-cone sensitivity. Conclusions Murine proof-of-concept studies suggest that clinical trials of patients with NR2E3 mutations may be forthcoming. Patterns of S-cone hyperfunction across the field would serve as a means to categorize patients as entry criteria or cohort selection in clinical trials. S-cone perimetry can be measured in the clinic and would be the logical efficacy monitor for therapeutic strategies. Given further understanding of the natural history of the disease, targeting the annular region of S-cone dysfunction for a focal therapy or for monitoring in a retina-wide intervention warrants consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra V Garafalo
- Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Giacomo Calzetti
- Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Artur V Cideciyan
- Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Alejandro J Roman
- Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Supna Saxena
- Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Alexander Sumaroka
- Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Windy Choi
- Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Alan F Wright
- Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, Medical Research Council Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel G Jacobson
- Scheie Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
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7
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Abstract
Although much is known about the visual system of vertebrates in general, studies regarding vision in reptiles, and snakes in particular, are scarce. Reptiles display diverse ocular structures, including different types of retinae such as pure cone, mostly rod, or duplex retinas (containing both rods and cones); however, the same five opsin-based photopigments are found in many of these animals. It is thought that ancestral snakes were nocturnal and/or fossorial, and, as such, they have lost two pigments, but retained three visual opsin classes. These are the RH1 gene (rod opsin or rhodopsin-like-1) expressed in rods and two cone opsins, namely LWS (long-wavelength-sensitive) and SWS1 (short-wavelength-sensitive-1) genes. Until recently, the study of snake photopigments has been largely ignored. However, its importance has become clear within the past few years as studies reconsider Walls’ transmutation theory, which was first proposed in the 1930s. In this study, the visual pigments of Bothrops atrox (the common lancehead), a South American pit viper, were examined. Specifically, full-length RH1 and LWS opsin gene sequences were cloned, as well as most of the SWS1 opsin gene. These sequences were subsequently used for phylogenetic analysis and to predict the wavelength of maximum absorbance (λmax) for each photopigment. This is the first report to support the potential for rudimentary color vision in a South American viper, specifically a species that is regarded as being nocturnal.
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Khalili S, Ballios BG, Belair-Hickey J, Donaldson L, Liu J, Coles BLK, Grisé KN, Baakdhah T, Bader GD, Wallace VA, Bernier G, Shoichet MS, van der Kooy D. Induction of rod versus cone photoreceptor-specific progenitors from retinal precursor cells. Stem Cell Res 2018; 33:215-227. [PMID: 30453152 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
During development, multipotent progenitors undergo temporally-restricted differentiation into post-mitotic retinal cells; however, the mechanisms of progenitor division that occurs during retinogenesis remain controversial. Using clonal analyses (lineage tracing and single cell cultures), we identify rod versus cone lineage-specific progenitors derived from both adult retinal stem cells and embryonic neural retinal precursors. Taurine and retinoic acid are shown to act in an instructive and lineage-restricted manner early in the progenitor lineage hierarchy to produce rod-restricted progenitors from stem cell progeny. We also identify an instructive, but lineage-independent, mechanism for the specification of cone-restricted progenitors through the suppression of multiple differentiation signaling pathways. These data indicate that exogenous signals play critical roles in directing lineage decisions and resulting in fate-restricted rod or cone photoreceptor progenitors in culture. Additional factors may be involved in governing photoreceptor fates in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeed Khalili
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Brian G Ballios
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, 340 College Street, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3A9, Canada
| | - Justin Belair-Hickey
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Laura Donaldson
- Division of Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, 2757 King Street East, Hamilton, Ontario L8G 4X3, Canada
| | - Jeff Liu
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Brenda L K Coles
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Kenneth N Grisé
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Tahani Baakdhah
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Gary D Bader
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Valerie A Wallace
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, 340 College Street, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3A9, Canada; Donald K Johnson Eye Institute, Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, 60 Leonard Ave., Rm 8KD413, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Gilbert Bernier
- Stem Cell and Developmental Biology Laboratory, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Boul. l'Assomption, Montréal H1T 2M4, Canada; Faculté de Médecine, Départment de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Molly S Shoichet
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Derek van der Kooy
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada.
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9
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Trifunović D, Arango-Gonzalez B, Comitato A, Barth M, Del Amo EM, Kulkarni M, Sahaboglu A, Hauck SM, Urtti A, Arsenijevic Y, Ueffing M, Marigo V, Paquet-Durand F. HDAC inhibition in the cpfl1 mouse protects degenerating cone photoreceptors in vivo. Hum Mol Genet 2018; 25:4462-4472. [PMID: 28172811 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Revised: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cone photoreceptor cell death as it occurs in certain hereditary retinal diseases is devastating, with the affected patients suffering from a loss of accurate and colour vision. Regrettably, these hereditary cone diseases are still untreatable to date. Thus, the identification of substances able to block or restrain cone cell death is of primary importance. We studied the neuroprotective effects of a histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A (TSA), in a mouse model of inherited, primary cone degeneration (cpfl1). We show that HDAC inhibition protects cpfl1 cones in vitro, in retinal explant cultures. More importantly, in vivo, a single intravitreal TSA injection significantly increased cone survival for up to 16 days post-injection. In addition, the abnormal, incomplete cone migration pattern in the cpfl1 retina was significantly improved by HDAC inhibition. These findings suggest a crucial role for HDAC activity in primary cone degeneration and highlight a new avenue for future therapy developments for cone dystrophies and retinal diseases associated with impaired cone migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragana Trifunović
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | - Antonella Comitato
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Melanie Barth
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Eva M Del Amo
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Manoj Kulkarni
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ayse Sahaboglu
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Stefanie M Hauck
- Research Unit Protein Science, Helmholtz Center Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Arto Urtti
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.,Centre for Drug Research, Division of Pharmaceutical Bioscience, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yvan Arsenijevic
- Unit of Gene Therapy & Stem Cell Biology, Hôpital Ophtalmique Jules Gonin, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marius Ueffing
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Valeria Marigo
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
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10
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Kim JW, Yang HJ, Oel AP, Brooks MJ, Jia L, Plachetzki DC, Li W, Allison WT, Swaroop A. Recruitment of Rod Photoreceptors from Short-Wavelength-Sensitive Cones during the Evolution of Nocturnal Vision in Mammals. Dev Cell 2017; 37:520-32. [PMID: 27326930 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2016.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Revised: 04/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrate ancestors had only cone-like photoreceptors. The duplex retina evolved in jawless vertebrates with the advent of highly photosensitive rod-like photoreceptors. Despite cones being the arbiters of high-resolution color vision, rods emerged as the dominant photoreceptor in mammals during a nocturnal phase early in their evolution. We investigated the evolutionary and developmental origins of rods in two divergent vertebrate retinas. In mice, we discovered genetic and epigenetic vestiges of short-wavelength cones in developing rods, and cell-lineage tracing validated the genesis of rods from S cones. Curiously, rods did not derive from S cones in zebrafish. Our study illuminates several questions regarding the evolution of duplex retina and supports the hypothesis that, in mammals, the S-cone lineage was recruited via the Maf-family transcription factor NRL to augment rod photoreceptors. We propose that this developmental mechanism allowed the adaptive exploitation of scotopic niches during the nocturnal bottleneck early in mammalian evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Woong Kim
- Neurobiology-Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Life Science, College of Natural Sciences, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-756, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jin Yang
- Neurobiology-Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Adam Phillip Oel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Matthew John Brooks
- Neurobiology-Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Li Jia
- Retinal Neurophysiology Section, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David Charles Plachetzki
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Wei Li
- Retinal Neurophysiology Section, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - William Ted Allison
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada.
| | - Anand Swaroop
- Neurobiology-Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Hammoum I, Benlarbi M, Dellaa A, Szabó K, Dékány B, Csaba D, Almási Z, Hajdú RI, Azaiz R, Charfeddine R, Lukáts Á, Ben Chaouacha-Chekir R. Study of retinal neurodegeneration and maculopathy in diabetic Meriones shawi: A particular animal model with human-like macula. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2890-2914. [PMID: 28542922 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this work was to evaluate a potentially useful animal model, Meriones shawi (M.sh)-developing metabolic X syndrome, diabetes and possessing a visual streak similar to human macula-in the study of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema (DME). Type 2 diabetes (T2D) was induced by high fat diet administration in M.sh. Body weights, blood glucose levels were monitored throughout the study. Diabetic retinal histopathology was evaluated 3 and 7 months after diabetes induction. Retinal thickness was measured, retinal cell types were labeled by immunohistochemistry and the number of stained elements were quantified. Apoptosis was determined with TUNEL assay. T2D induced progressive changes in retinal histology. A significant decrease of retinal thickness and glial reactivity was observed without an increase in apoptosis rate. Photoreceptor outer segment degeneration was evident, with a significant decrease in the number of all cones and M-cone subtype, but-surprisingly-an increase in S-cones. Damage of the pigment epithelium was also confirmed. A decrease in the number and labeling intensity of parvalbumin- and calretinin-positive amacrine cells and a loss of ganglion cells was detected. Other cell types showed no evident alterations. No DME-like condition was noticed even after 7 months. M.sh could be a useful model to study the evolution of diabetic retinal pathology and to identify the role of hypertension and dyslipidemia in the development of the reported alterations. Longer follow up would be needed to evaluate the potential use of the visual streak in modeling human macular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imane Hammoum
- Laboratory of Physiopathology, Food and Biomolecules (PAB), department of Biotechnology, High Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet (ISBST), Univ Manouba (UMA), BiotechPole Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia.,Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, El Manar University (UTM), Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Maha Benlarbi
- Laboratory of Physiopathology, Food and Biomolecules (PAB), department of Biotechnology, High Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet (ISBST), Univ Manouba (UMA), BiotechPole Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Ahmed Dellaa
- Laboratory of Physiopathology, Food and Biomolecules (PAB), department of Biotechnology, High Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet (ISBST), Univ Manouba (UMA), BiotechPole Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
| | - Klaudia Szabó
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bulcsú Dékány
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dávid Csaba
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna Almási
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rozina I Hajdú
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rached Azaiz
- UNIMED Pharmaceutical Industry, Industrial area Kalaa Kebira, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Ridha Charfeddine
- UNIMED Pharmaceutical Industry, Industrial area Kalaa Kebira, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Ákos Lukáts
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rafika Ben Chaouacha-Chekir
- Laboratory of Physiopathology, Food and Biomolecules (PAB), department of Biotechnology, High Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet (ISBST), Univ Manouba (UMA), BiotechPole Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia
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Lossi L, D’Angelo L, De Girolamo P, Merighi A. Anatomical features for an adequate choice of experimental animal model in biomedicine: II. Small laboratory rodents, rabbit, and pig. Ann Anat 2016; 204:11-28. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2015.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Revised: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Hofmann L, Palczewski K. Advances in understanding the molecular basis of the first steps in color vision. Prog Retin Eye Res 2015; 49:46-66. [PMID: 26187035 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2015.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Revised: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Serving as one of our primary environmental inputs, vision is the most sophisticated sensory system in humans. Here, we present recent findings derived from energetics, genetics and physiology that provide a more advanced understanding of color perception in mammals. Energetics of cis-trans isomerization of 11-cis-retinal accounts for color perception in the narrow region of the electromagnetic spectrum and how human eyes can absorb light in the near infrared (IR) range. Structural homology models of visual pigments reveal complex interactions of the protein moieties with the light sensitive chromophore 11-cis-retinal and that certain color blinding mutations impair secondary structural elements of these G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Finally, we identify unsolved critical aspects of color tuning that require future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Hofmann
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
| | - Krzysztof Palczewski
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
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Isayama T, Chen Y, Kono M, Fabre E, Slavsky M, DeGrip WJ, Ma JX, Crouch RK, Makino CL. Coexpression of three opsins in cone photoreceptors of the salamander Ambystoma tigrinum. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:2249-65. [PMID: 24374736 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2013] [Revised: 10/24/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although more than one type of visual opsin is present in the retina of most vertebrates, it was thought that each type of photoreceptor expresses only one opsin. However, evidence has accumulated that some photoreceptors contain more than one opsin, in many cases as a result of a developmental transition from the expression of one opsin to another. The salamander UV-sensitive (UV) cone is particularly notable because it contains three opsins (Makino and Dodd [1996] J Gen Physiol 108:27-34). Two opsin types are expressed at levels more than 100 times lower than the level of the primary opsin. Here, immunohistochemical experiments identified the primary component as a UV cone opsin and the two minor components as the short wavelength-sensitive (S) and long wavelength-sensitive (L) cone opsins. Based on single-cell recordings of 156 photoreceptors, the presence of three components in UV cones of hatchlings and terrestrial adults ruled out a developmental transition. There was no evidence for multiple opsin types within rods or S cones, but immunohistochemistry and partial bleaching in conjunction with single-cell recording revealed that both single and double L cones contained low levels of short wavelength-sensitive pigments in addition to the main L visual pigment. These results raise the possibility that coexpression of multiple opsins in other vertebrates was overlooked because a minor component absorbing at short wavelengths was masked by the main visual pigment or because the expression level of a component absorbing at long wavelengths was exceedingly low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoki Isayama
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114
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15
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Retinal cone photoreceptors of the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus: development, topography, opsin expression and spectral tuning. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80910. [PMID: 24260509 PMCID: PMC3829927 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A quantitative analysis of photoreceptor properties was performed in the retina of the nocturnal deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, using pigmented (wildtype) and albino animals. The aim was to establish whether the deer mouse is a more suitable model species than the house mouse for photoreceptor studies, and whether oculocutaneous albinism affects its photoreceptor properties. In retinal flatmounts, cone photoreceptors were identified by opsin immunostaining, and their numbers, spectral types, and distributions across the retina were determined. Rod photoreceptors were counted using differential interference contrast microscopy. Pigmented P. maniculatus have a rod-dominated retina with rod densities of about 450.000/mm2 and cone densities of 3000 - 6500/mm2. Two cone opsins, shortwave sensitive (S) and middle-to-longwave sensitive (M), are present and expressed in distinct cone types. Partial sequencing of the S opsin gene strongly supports UV sensitivity of the S cone visual pigment. The S cones constitute a 5-15% minority of the cones. Different from house mouse, S and M cone distributions do not have dorsoventral gradients, and coexpression of both opsins in single cones is exceptional (<2% of the cones). In albino P. maniculatus, rod densities are reduced by approximately 40% (270.000/mm2). Overall, cone density and the density of cones exclusively expressing S opsin are not significantly different from pigmented P. maniculatus. However, in albino retinas S opsin is coexpressed with M opsin in 60-90% of the cones and therefore the population of cones expressing only M opsin is significantly reduced to 5-25%. In conclusion, deer mouse cone properties largely conform to the general mammalian pattern, hence the deer mouse may be better suited than the house mouse for the study of certain basic cone properties, including the effects of albinism on cone opsin expression.
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Abstract
AbstractS cones expressing the short wavelength-sensitive type 1 (SWS1) class of visual pigment generally form only a minority type of cone photoreceptor within the vertebrate duplex retina. Hence, their primary role is in color vision, not in high acuity vision. In mammals, S cones may be present as a constant fraction of the cones across the retina, may be restricted to certain regions of the retina or may form a gradient across the retina, and in some species, there is coexpression of SWS1 and the long wavelength-sensitive (LWS) class of pigment in many cones. During retinal development, SWS1 opsin expression generally precedes that of LWS opsin, and evidence from genetic studies indicates that the S cone pathway may be the default pathway for cone development. With the notable exception of the cartilaginous fishes, where S cones appear to be absent, they are present in representative species from all other vertebrate classes. S cone loss is not, however, uncommon; they are absent from most aquatic mammals and from some but not all nocturnal terrestrial species. The peak spectral sensitivity of S cones depends on the spectral characteristics of the pigment present. Evidence from the study of agnathans and teleost fishes indicates that the ancestral vertebrate SWS1 pigment was ultraviolet (UV) sensitive with a peak around 360 nm, but this has shifted into the violet region of the spectrum (>380 nm) on many separate occasions during vertebrate evolution. In all cases, the shift was generated by just one or a few replacements in tuning-relevant residues. Only in the avian lineage has tuning moved in the opposite direction, with the reinvention of UV-sensitive pigments.
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Rister J, Desplan C, Vasiliauskas D. Establishing and maintaining gene expression patterns: insights from sensory receptor patterning. Development 2013; 140:493-503. [PMID: 23293281 DOI: 10.1242/dev.079095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In visual and olfactory sensory systems with high discriminatory power, each sensory neuron typically expresses one, or very few, sensory receptor genes, excluding all others. Recent studies have provided insights into the mechanisms that generate and maintain sensory receptor expression patterns. Here, we review how this is achieved in the fly retina and compare it with the mechanisms controlling sensory receptor expression patterns in the mouse retina and in the mouse and fly olfactory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Rister
- Department of Biology, New York University, 1009 Silver Center, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003-6688, USA
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18
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Sahaboglu A, Paquet-Durand O, Dietter J, Dengler K, Bernhard-Kurz S, Ekström PAR, Hitzmann B, Ueffing M, Paquet-Durand F. Retinitis pigmentosa: rapid neurodegeneration is governed by slow cell death mechanisms. Cell Death Dis 2013; 4:e488. [PMID: 23392176 PMCID: PMC3593146 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2013.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
For most neurodegenerative diseases the precise duration of an individual cell's death is unknown, which is an obstacle when counteractive measures are being considered. To address this, we used the rd1 mouse model for retinal neurodegeneration, characterized by phosphodiesterase-6 (PDE6) dysfunction and photoreceptor death triggered by high cyclic guanosine-mono-phosphate (cGMP) levels. Using cellular data on cGMP accumulation, cell death, and survival, we created mathematical models to simulate the temporal development of the degeneration. We validated model predictions using organotypic retinal explant cultures derived from wild-type animals and exposed to the selective PDE6 inhibitor zaprinast. Together, photoreceptor data and modeling for the first time delineated three major cell death phases in a complex neuronal tissue: (1) initiation, taking up to 36 h, (2) execution, lasting another 40 h, and finally (3) clearance, lasting about 7 h. Surprisingly, photoreceptor neurodegeneration was noticeably slower than necrosis or apoptosis, suggesting a different mechanism of death for these neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Sahaboglu
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - O Paquet-Durand
- Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Stuttgart Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - J Dietter
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - K Dengler
- Skin Clinic, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - S Bernhard-Kurz
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - P AR Ekström
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden
| | - B Hitzmann
- Institute of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Stuttgart Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - M Ueffing
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - F Paquet-Durand
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Flamarique IN, Cheng CL, Bergstrom C, Reimchen TE. Pronounced heritable variation and limited phenotypic plasticity in visual pigments and opsin expression of threespine stickleback photoreceptors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 216:656-67. [PMID: 23077162 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.078840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Vertebrate colour vision is mediated by the differential expression of visual pigment proteins (opsins) in retinal cone photoreceptors. Many species alter opsin expression during life, either as part of development or as a result of changes in habitat. The latter, a result of phenotypic plasticity, appears common among fishes, but its cellular origin and ecological significance are unknown. Here, we used adult threespine stickleback fish from different photic regimes to investigate heritable variability and phenotypic plasticity in opsin expression. Fish from clear waters had double cones that expressed long (LWS) and middle (RH2) wavelength opsins, one per double cone member. In contrast, fish from red light-shifted lakes had double cones that were >95% LWS/LWS pairs. All fish had single cones that predominantly expressed a short wavelength (SWS2) opsin but ultraviolet cones, expressing a SWS1 opsin, were present throughout the retina. Fish from red light-shifted lakes, when transferred to clear waters, had a ∼2% increase in RH2/LWS double cones, though double cone density remained constant. Comparison of visual pigment absorbance and light transmission in the environment indicated that the opsin complements of double cones maximized sensitivity to the background light, whereas single cones had visual pigments that were spectrally offset from the dominant background wavelengths. Our results indicate that phenotypic plasticity in opsin expression is minor in sticklebacks and of questionable functional significance.
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20
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Akula JD, Esdaille TM, Caffé AR, Naarendorp F. The scotopic electroretinogram of the sugar glider related to histological features of its retina. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2011; 197:1043-54. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-011-0665-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2011] [Revised: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 06/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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21
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Cheng H, Khan NW, Roger JE, Swaroop A. Excess cones in the retinal degeneration rd7 mouse, caused by the loss of function of orphan nuclear receptor Nr2e3, originate from early-born photoreceptor precursors. Hum Mol Genet 2011; 20:4102-15. [PMID: 21813656 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddr334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The orphan nuclear receptor NR2E3 is a direct transcriptional target of NRL, the key basic motif leucine zipper transcription factor that dictates rod versus cone photoreceptor cell fate in the mammalian retina. The lack of NR2E3 function in humans and in retinal degeneration rd7 mutant mouse leads to increased S-cones accompanied by rod degeneration, whereas ectopic expression of Nr2e3 in the cone-only Nrl(-/-) retina generates rod-like cells that do not exhibit any visual function. Using GFP to tag the newborn rods and by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine birthdating, we demonstrate that early-born post-mitotic photoreceptor precursors in the rd7 retina express cone-specific genes. Transgenic mouse studies in the rd7 background show that Nr2e3 when expressed under the control of Crx promoter can restore rod photoreceptor function and suppress cone gene expression. Furthermore, Nr2e3 expression in photoreceptor precursors committed to be rods (driven by the Nrl promoter) could completely rescue the retinal phenotype of the rd7 mice. We conclude that excess of S-cones in the rd7 retina originate from photoreceptor precursors with a 'default' fate and not from proliferation of cones and that Nr2e3 is required to suppress the expression of S-cone genes during normal rod differentiation. These studies further support the 'transcriptional dominance' model of photoreceptor cell fate determination and provide insights into the pathogenesis of retinal disease phenotypes caused by NR2E3 mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Cheng
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Why different regions of the retina have different spectral sensitivities: A review of mechanisms and functional significance of intraretinal variability in spectral sensitivity in vertebrates. Vis Neurosci 2011; 28:281-93. [DOI: 10.1017/s0952523811000113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractVision is used in nearly all aspects of animal behavior, from prey and predator detection to mate selection and parental care. However, the light environment typically is not uniform in every direction, and visual tasks may be specific to particular parts of an animal’s field of view. These spatial differences may explain the presence of several adaptations in the eyes of vertebrates that alter spectral sensitivity of the eye in different directions. Mechanisms that alter spectral sensitivity across the retina include (but are not limited to) variations in: corneal filters, oil droplets, macula lutea, tapeta, chromophore ratios, photoreceptor classes, and opsin expression. The resultant variations in spectral sensitivity across the retina are referred to as intraretinal variability in spectral sensitivity (IVSS). At first considered an obscure and rare phenomenon, it is becoming clear that IVSS is widespread among all vertebrates, and examples have been found from every major group. This review will describe the mechanisms mediating differences in spectral sensitivity, which are in general well understood, as well as explore the functional significance of intraretinal variability, which for the most part is unclear at best.
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Abstract
Mammalian retinas display an astonishing diversity in the spatial arrangement of their spectral cone photoreceptors, probably in adaptation to different visual environments. Opsin expression patterns like the dorsoventral gradients of short-wave-sensitive (S) and middle- to long-wave-sensitive (M) cone opsin found in many species are established early in development and thought to be stable thereafter throughout life. In mouse early development, thyroid hormone (TH), through its receptor TRβ2, is an important regulator of cone spectral identity. However, the role of TH in the maintenance of the mature cone photoreceptor pattern is unclear. We here show that TH also controls adult cone opsin expression. Methimazole-induced suppression of serum TH in adult mice and rats yielded no changes in cone numbers but reversibly altered cone patterns by activating the expression of S-cone opsin and repressing the expression of M-cone opsin. Furthermore, treatment of athyroid Pax8(-/-) mice with TH restored a wild-type pattern of cone opsin expression that reverted back to the mutant S-opsin-dominated pattern after termination of treatment. No evidence for cone death or the generation of new cones from retinal progenitors was found in retinas that shifted opsin expression patterns. Together, this suggests that opsin expression in terminally differentiated mammalian cones remains subject to control by TH, a finding that is in contradiction to previous work and challenges the current view that opsin identity in mature mammalian cones is fixed by permanent gene silencing.
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Gan KJ, Novales Flamarique I. Thyroid hormone accelerates opsin expression during early photoreceptor differentiation and induces opsin switching in differentiated TRα-expressing cones of the salmonid retina. Dev Dyn 2011; 239:2700-13. [PMID: 20730870 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.22392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Thyroid hormone and its receptors (TRs) regulate photoreceptor differentiation and visual pigment protein (opsin) expression in the retinas of several vertebrates, including rodents and fish. In some of these animals, opsin expression can arise through switches within differentiated cone photoreceptors. In salmonid fishes, single cones express ultraviolet (SWS1) opsin during embryonic development and switch to blue (SWS2) opsin as the fishes grow. It is unknown whether thyroid hormone regulates opsin expression during early cone differentiation and acts through TRs to induce opsin switches in differentiated cones of the salmonid retina. Using in situ hybridization, we characterized the spatiotemporal dynamics of opsin expression and switching in embryos treated with exogenous thyroid hormone or propylthiouracil (PTU), a pharmacological inhibitor of thyroid hormone synthesis. We combined immunohistochemistry with in situ hybridization to map TRα expression with respect to cones undergoing the opsin switch in older juvenile fish. Thyroid hormone accelerated opsin expression in differentiating cones and induced the opsin switch in differentiated single cones, whereas PTU repressed the opsin switch. TRα was not detected in differentiating photoreceptors as opsin expression initiated, but was later expressed in differentiated single cones before the onset of the opsin switch. TRα expression exhibited a dynamic dorsoventral distribution that paralleled the progression of the opsin switch. Together, our results show that thyroid hormone is required for opsin switching in the retina of salmonid fishes and suggest that TRα may be involved in regulating this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathlyn J Gan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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Trifunović D, Dengler K, Michalakis S, Zrenner E, Wissinger B, Paquet-Durand F. cGMP-dependent cone photoreceptor degeneration in the cpfl1 mouse retina. J Comp Neurol 2010; 518:3604-17. [PMID: 20593360 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Inherited retinal degeneration affecting both rod and cone photoreceptors constitutes one of the leading causes of blindness in the developed world. Such degeneration is at present untreatable, and the underlying neurodegenerative mechanisms are unknown, even though certain genetic causes have been established. The rd1 mouse is one of the best characterized animal models for rod photoreceptor degeneration, whereas the cpfl1 mouse is a recently discovered model for cone cell death. Because both animal models are affected by functionally similar mutations in the rod and cone phosphodiesterase 6 genes, respectively, we asked whether the mechanisms of photoreceptor degeneration in these two mouse lines share common pathways. In the present study, we followed the temporal progression of photoreceptor degeneration in the cpfl1 retina, correlated it with specific metabolic markers, and compared it with the wild-type and the rd1 situation. Similar to corresponding rd1 observations, cpfl1 cone photoreceptor cell death was associated with an accumulation of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), activity of calpains, and phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated protein (VASP). Cone degeneration progressed rapidly, with a peak in cell death around postnatal day 24. Furthermore, cpfl1 cone photoreceptor migration during early postnatal development was delayed significantly compared with the corresponding wild-type retina. The finding that rod and cone photoreceptor degeneration was associated with the same metabolic markers suggests that in both cell types similar degenerative mechanisms are active. This raises the possibility that equivalent neuroprotective strategies may be used to prevent both rod and cone photoreceptor degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragana Trifunović
- Division of Experimental Ophthalmology, Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, 72076 Germany
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26
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Transcriptional regulation of photoreceptor development and homeostasis in the mammalian retina. Nat Rev Neurosci 2010; 11:563-76. [PMID: 20648062 DOI: 10.1038/nrn2880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 372] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In the developing vertebrate retina, diverse neuronal subtypes originate from multipotent progenitors in a conserved order and are integrated into an intricate laminated architecture. Recent progress in mammalian photoreceptor development has identified a complex relationship between six key transcription-regulatory factors (RORbeta, OTX2, NRL, CRX, NR2E3 and TRbeta2) that determine rod versus M cone or S cone cell fate. We propose a step-wise 'transcriptional dominance' model of photoreceptor cell fate determination, with the S cone representing the default state of a generic photoreceptor precursor. Elucidation of gene-regulatory networks that dictate photoreceptor genesis and homeostasis will have wider implications for understanding the development of nervous system function and for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Ferreiro-Galve S, Rodríguez-Moldes I, Anadón R, Candal E. Patterns of cell proliferation and rod photoreceptor differentiation in shark retinas. J Chem Neuroanat 2010; 39:1-14. [PMID: 19822206 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2009.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2009] [Revised: 10/05/2009] [Accepted: 10/05/2009] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We studied the pattern of cell proliferation and its relation with photoreceptor differentiation in the embryonic and postembryonic retina of two elasmobranchs, the lesser spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) and the brown shyshark (Haploblepharus fuscus). Cell proliferation was studied with antibodies raised against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and phospho-histone-H3, and early photoreceptor differentiation with an antibody raised against rod opsin. As regards the spatiotemporal distribution of PCNA-immunoreactive cells, our results reveal a gradual loss of PCNA that coincides in a spatiotemporal sequence with the gradient of layer maturation. The presence of a peripheral growth zone containing pure-proliferating retinal progenitors (the ciliary marginal zone) in the adult retina matches with the general pattern observed in other groups of gnathostomous fishes. However, in the shark retina the generation of new cells is not restricted to the ciliary marginal zone but also occurs in retinal areas that contain differentiated cells: (1) in a transition zone that lies between the pure-proliferating ciliary marginal zone and the central (layered) retina; (2) in the differentiating central area up to prehatching embryos where large amounts of PCNA-positive cells were observed even in the inner and outer nuclear layers; (3) and in the retinal pigment epithelium of prehatching embryos. Rod opsin immunoreactivity was observed in both species when the outer plexiform layer begins to be recognized in the central retina and, as we previously observed in trout, coincided temporally with the weakening in PCNA labelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Ferreiro-Galve
- Department of Cell Biology and Ecology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782-Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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Parker RO, Mccarragher B, Crouch R, Darden AG. Photoreceptor Development in Premetamorphic and Metamorphic Xenopus laevis. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2010; 293:383-7. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.21079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Hoke KL, Evans BI, Fernald RD. Remodeling of the cone photoreceptor mosaic during metamorphosis of flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus). BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2006; 68:241-54. [PMID: 16864981 DOI: 10.1159/000094705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2005] [Accepted: 12/20/2005] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The retinal cone mosaic of the winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, is extensively remodeled during metamorphosis when its visual system shifts from monochromatic to trichromatic. Here we describe the reorganization and re-specification of existing cone subtypes in which larval cones alter their spatial arrangement, morphology, and opsin expression to determine whether mechanisms controlling cell birth, mosaic position, and opsin selection are coordinated or independent. We labeled dividing cells with tritiated ((3)H) thymidine prior to mosaic remodeling to determine whether existing cone photoreceptors change phenotype. We also used in situ hybridization to identify mosaic type and opsin expression in transitional retinas to understand the sequence of transformation. Our data indicate that in the winter flounder retina the choice of new opsin species and the cellular rearrangement of the mosaic proceed independently. The production of the precise cone mosaic arrangement is not due to a stereotyped series of sequential cellular inductions, but rather might be the product of a set of distinct, flexible processes that rely on plasticity in cell phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim L Hoke
- Program in Neurosciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif, USA.
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Cheng CL, Flamarique IN, Hárosi FI, Rickers-Haunerland J, Haunerland NH. Photoreceptor layer of salmonid fishes: Transformation and loss of single cones in juvenile fish. J Comp Neurol 2006; 495:213-35. [PMID: 16435286 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The retinas of many vertebrates have cone photoreceptors that express multiple visual pigments. In many of these animals, including humans, the original cones to appear in the retina (which express UV or blue opsin) may change opsin types, giving rise to new spectral phenotypes. Here we used microspectrophotometry and in situ hybridization with cDNA probes to study the distribution of UV and blue cones in the retinas of four species of Pacific salmon (coho, chum, chinook, and pink salmon), in the Atlantic salmon, and in the rainbow/steelhead trout. In Pacific salmon and in the trout, all single cones express a UV opsin at hatching (lambda(max) of the visual pigment approximately 365 nm), and these cones later transform into blue cones by opsin changeover (lambda(max) of the blue visual pigment approximately 434 nm). Cones undergoing UV opsin downregulation exhibit either of two spectral absorbance profiles. The first is characterized by UV and blue absorbance peaks, with blue absorbance dominating the base of the outer segment. The second shows UV absorbance diminishing from the outer segment tip to the base, with no sign of blue absorbance. The first absorbance profile indicates a transformation from UV to blue phenotype by opsin changeover, while the second type suggests that the cone is undergoing apoptosis. These two events (transformation and loss of corner cones) are closely associated in time and progress from ventral to dorsal retina. Each double cone member contains green (lambda(max) approximately 510 nm) or red (lambda(max) approximately 565 nm) visual pigment (double cones are green/red pairs), and, like the rods (lambda(max) approximately 508 nm), do not exhibit opsin changeover. Unlike Pacific salmonids, the Atlantic salmon shows a mixture of UV and blue cones and a partial loss of corner cones at hatching. This study establishes the UV-to-blue cone transformation as a general feature of retinal growth in Pacific salmonids (genus Oncorhynchus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiana L Cheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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Bytyqi AH, Layer PG. Lamina formation in the Mongolian gerbil retina (Meriones unguiculatus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 209:217-25. [PMID: 15668778 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-004-0443-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/27/2004] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Retinae of nocturnal rodents, such as mice and rats, are almost exclusively rod-dominated. The gerbil, in contrast, shows active periods during day and night and uses both rod- and cone-based vision. However, its retina has not been studied in detail, except for one developmental study analysing its prenatal period (Wikler et al. 1989). Here, the formation of the laminar structure of the gerbil retina was studied from birth until late adult stages. At birth, the retina consisted of a wide neuroblastic layer, with 30% of cells still dividing, a rate decreasing to nearly zero by P6. Shortly after birth, segregation of a ganglion cell layer began. All retinal layers reached their final size around P20, as determined from DAPI-stained cryosections. Muller glial cells developed their typical structure from P1 onwards, e.g. announcing an outer plexiform layer (OPL) at P5, as analysed by the Ret-G7 and glutamine synthetase antibodies. The analyses of the inner retina were performed by antibodies to calretinin (CR) and calbindin (CB). CR is expressed in ganglion cells followed by amacrine cells from P1 onwards; their processes formed four subbands in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and appeared sequentially after P5 until P20. CB stained a subtype of horizontal cells with their processes into the OPL from P14 onwards. The rod-specific antibody rho4D2 announced photoreceptors at P4, showing signs of outer segments from P10 onwards. The study shows that the formation of all retinal layers in the gerbil occurs postnatally. This and the fact that the gerbil retina is not exclusively rod-dominated could render the gerbil a valuable model for in vitro studies of retinogenesis in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afrim H Bytyqi
- Darmstadt University of Technology, Developmental Biology and Neurogenetics, Schnittspahnstrasse 3, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
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Cornish EE, Xiao M, Yang Z, Provis JM, Hendrickson AE. The role of opsin expression and apoptosis in determination of cone types in human retina. Exp Eye Res 2004; 78:1143-54. [PMID: 15109921 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2004.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2003] [Accepted: 01/09/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In primates, short wavelength sensitive cones (S cones) and medium- or long-wavelength-sensitive cones (L/M cones) are two separate populations. Each cone type has a different developmental timecourse, contributes to different intra-retinal circuits, and transmits different types of information to the brain. However, in fetal human retina a significant population of cones express both S and L/M opsin (S+L/M cones), raising questions about whether S+L/M cones die or change opsin expression during development. We have utilized fetal, postnatal and adult human retinae to study the immunohistochemical distribution and morphology of S+L/M cones during development. Because S cones appear to be at higher density in fetal compared to adult retinae, we used antibodies to S opsin and alpha-transducin to estimate the proportion of S-cones, and TUNEL labelling to detect apoptotic death in the L/M, S or S+L/M population during development. S cones were present in central retina from fetal week (Fwk)11 and covered the retina by Fwk20. L/M cones appeared in the foveal cone mosaic 3-4 weeks after S-opsin was first detected, and covered the retina by birth. S+L/M cones were detected in all retinae older than Fwk14. They were most numerous at the retinal eccentricity where L/M opsin was just appearing; i.e. at the 'front' of L/M opsin expression. In this region, five morphological types of cones were present. (1) Heavily labelled S cones had thick cell bodies, a thick basal axon and pedicle, and a nucleus at any level of the outer nuclear layer (ONL). (2) Heavily labelled L/M cones were wine goblet shaped with a small round cell body, a large nucleus at the outer ONL edge, and a thin axon with a prominent synaptic pedicle. (3) Goblet-shaped S+L/M cones. (4) Goblet-shaped cones lightly labelled for S-opsin. (5) Cones that were not immunoreactive to either opsin. Only type 1 S cones were present peripheral to the L/M expression front, and their labelling intensity, morphology and distribution indicates that these are the 'true blue' cones of the adult mosaic. Only type 2 L/M cones were present in the foveal cone mosaic. Types 3 and 4 were most numerous within 500-750 microm of the L/M expression front, but type 3 S+L/M cones were also scattered throughout more central regions in fetal, infant and adult retinae. S+L/M cones comprised 5-10% of opsin immunoreactive cones at the L/M front in fetal and early postnatal retinas but 0.01-0.03% throughout P8mo and adult retinae. We found no evidence of significant levels of apoptosis in L/M cones at the expression front, suggesting that this decrease was not due to cell death. The findings suggest that goblet-shaped cones destined to express L or M opsin may initially and transiently express S opsin. Near the optic disc, at Fwk17 S cone density was around 2000 cells mm(-2), which dropped 50% by Fwk20 and stabilized at around 500 cells mm(-2) by birth. Double labelling with alpha-transducin showed that throughout this period 8-10% of all cones expressed S opsin. TUNEL labelling found no significant apoptosis in the S cone population. The decrease in S cone density near the optic disc occurs in the absence of apoptosis, and is likely due to other developmental events acting on the photoreceptor layer, including displacement of cones towards the fovea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa E Cornish
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, and Save Insight Institute, University of Sydney, NSW, Ausralia
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Abstract
Each cone photoreceptor in the retina responds to light in a limited range of wavelengths, giving it a spectral phenotype. This phenotype is determined by the most prevalent of the photoreceptor's visual-pigment proteins (opsins) and is assumed to remain unchanged during an animal's lifetime. Here we show that in the Pacific pink salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, single cones can switch their spectral phenotype from ultraviolet to blue by regulating the production of the appropriate opsins as the fish grow older. This photoreceptor plasticity may operate to modulate colour vision as the salmon's lifestyle changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiana L Cheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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Abstract
During development, retinal ganglion cells undergo conspicuous structural remodeling as they gradually attain their mature morphology and connectivity. Alterations in their dendritic organization and in their axonal projections can also be achieved following early insult to their targets or their afferents. Other retinal cell types are thought not to display this same degree of developmental plasticity. The present review will consider the evidence, drawn largely from recent experimental studies in the carnivore retina, that photoreceptors also undergo structural remodeling, extending their terminals transiently into inner plexiform layer before retracting to the outer plexiform layer. The determinants of this transient targeting to the inner plexiform layer are considered, and the role of cholinergic amacrine cells is discussed. The factors triggering this retraction are also considered, including the concurrent maturational changes in outer segment formation and in the differentiation of the outer plexiform layer. These results provide new insight into the life history of the photoreceptor cell and its connectivity, and suggest a transient role for the photoreceptors in the circuitry of the inner retina during early development, prior to the onset of phototransduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin E Reese
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Department of Psychology, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5060, USA.
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Perkins BD, Fadool JM, Dowling JE. Photoreceptor structure and development: analyses using GFP transgenes. Methods Cell Biol 2004; 76:315-31. [PMID: 15602882 DOI: 10.1016/s0091-679x(04)76015-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian D Perkins
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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Abstract
Usually, photoreceptors interact with other retinal cells through the neurotransmitter glutamate. Here we describe a nonsynaptic interaction via a secreted protein, retinoschisin. Using in situ hybridization, we found that from early postnatal life retinoschisin mRNA is present only in the outer retina of the mouse, and with single-cell RT-PCR we demonstrated its localization in rod and cone photoreceptor cells but not in Müller cells. Western blot analyses of proteins from cultured ocular tissues and microdissected outer and inner retinas, as well as from the culture media of these samples, showed that retinoschisin is secreted from the photoreceptor cells. Immunostaining of permeabilized and nonpermeabilized dissociated retinal cells revealed that retinoschisin is mainly inside and outside the photoreceptors, outside bipolar cells, and associated with plasma membranes of Müller cells and inside their distal processes. Because we showed previously that retinoschisin is distributed all over the retina, our current data suggest that after synthesis and secretion by the photoreceptors, retinoschisin reaches the surface of retinal cells and mediates interactions/adhesion between photoreceptor, bipolar, and Müller cells, contributing to the maintenance of the cytoarchitectural integrity of the retina. These interactions may not occur when the gene encoding retinoschisin is mutated, as it occurs in X-linked juvenile retinoschisis, a disease that results in morphological and electrophysiological defects of the retina.
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Chiquet C, Dkhissi-Benyahya O, Chounlamountri N, Szel A, Degrip WJ, Cooper HM. Characterization of calbindin-positive cones in primates. Neuroscience 2003; 115:1323-33. [PMID: 12453500 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(02)00327-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study is to characterize calbindin-positive photoreceptors and their opsin content in the retina of nocturnal prosimians (Microcebus murinus), New World monkeys (Callithrix jacchus), Old World monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), and humans. To identify the calbindin and opsin content of cones, combined multiple labeling with different fluorescent probes, antibodies directed against calbindin, short, and mid-long wavelength opsins, and lectin peanut agglutinin cytochemistry were used. With the exception of Microcebus, calbindin is present in the cones of all primates but is absent from rods. The distribution of calbindin is similar in human and macaque cones, with dense label in the inner segment, cell body, axon and cone pedicle. Cones in marmoset also show dense staining in the cell body, axon and pedicle but only light label in the inner segment. Primate cone outer segments do not contain calbindin. In the primates studied, three patterns of calbindin and opsin localization are observed. In macaque and marmoset all short and mid-long wavelength cones contain calbindin. In humans, all mid-long wavelength cones contain calbindin whereas all short wavelength cones are devoid of calbindin as confirmed by confocal microscopy. In the nocturnal prosimian Microcebus none of the mid-long or short wavelength cones contain calbindin. In addition to primates, calbindin is absent in cones of other nocturnal species but is present in cones of diurnal species suggesting a difference in the role of calbindin possibly related to the adaptational states or other photoreceptor properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Chiquet
- INSERM U371, Cerveau et Vision, Unité 371, 18 avenue du Doyen Lépine, 69675 Cedex, Bron, France
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Azadi S, Zhang Y, Caffé AR, Holmqvist B, van Veen T. Thyroid-beta2 and the retinoid RAR-alpha, RXR-gamma and ROR-beta2 receptor mRNAs; expression profiles in mouse retina, retinal explants and neocortex. Neuroreport 2002; 13:745-50. [PMID: 11997680 DOI: 10.1097/00001756-200205070-00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In neonatal retinal explants cultured long-term green cones are missing. Recently it was reported that thyroid hormone beta2 receptors (TR-beta2) are essential for these green cones to differentiate. Therefore transcript level of these receptors was investigated in our mouse retinal explants. However, thyroid receptors function as heterodimers with retinoid receptors (RR); so the fate of selected RRs was similarly analyzed using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Loss of TR-beta2 and RR (RXR-gamma and ROR-beta2) mRNAs was observed after culturing the neonatal retina for 12 days. This indicates that these proteins are involved in determination of green cone identity. In addition, levels of the selected RR transcripts are differentially affected by short- or long-term culture. In the latter case an attached retinal pigment epithelium seems to play a protective role. Furthermore, divergent diurnal peaks of RR mRNAs are present in young as well as aged mouse retina and neocortex. This data might be relevant in the context of human ageing disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Azadi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Biomedical Center, University of Lund, Klinikgatan 26, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
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Glösmann M, Ahnelt PK. A mouse-like retinal cone phenotype in the Syrian hamster: S opsin coexpressed with M opsin in a common cone photoreceptor. Brain Res 2002; 929:139-46. [PMID: 11852040 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(02)02267-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Previous immunocytochemical, physiological, and molecular studies have reported that the Syrian hamster lacks a shortwave-sensitive (S) cone photopigment but retains circadian responses to ultraviolet (UV) light. Using opsin antibodies and a sensitive detection protocol, we here show that S opsin immunoreactivity colocalizes with M opsin immunoreactivity in a common type of cone photoreceptor. S opsin signal within individual cone outer segments is low and continuously decreases from the ventral to dorsal retina. Only double-labeled cones were found. During development, S opsin expression precedes that of M opsin, but there is no indication of transdifferentiation. Our results imply that in the Syrian hamster low levels of S opsin colocalize with M opsin in a common cone phenotype. We suggest that, similar to other murid rodents, the S pigment absorbs maximally in the UV range, and thus may contribute to mediating the circadian response of the Syrian hamster to UV light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Glösmann
- Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Vienna, Schwarzspanierstrasse 17, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
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40
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Wai SM, Yew DT. A cytological study on the development of the different types of visual cells in the chicken (Gallus domesticus). Cell Mol Neurobiol 2002; 22:57-85. [PMID: 12064518 DOI: 10.1023/a:1015393729005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The formation of visual cells and their intracellular organelles was studied in the embryonic chicken (Gallus domesticus) between stage 36 and hatching. Cilia formation was observed at stage 30 and by stage 42, outer segment formation from the cilia was evident. The inner segments appeared as buddings at stage 36. By stage 37, the buddings of double cones were observed clearly and such buddings elongated by stage 42. Both the single cones and rods appeared as buddings by stage 38 and elongation of the buddings was seen by stage 42. Oil droplets initially appeared by stage 39 in accessory cones and were observed in other cones by stage 42. Glycogen bodies were demonstrated firstly in rods and accessory cones at stage 43 and their development was completed by stage 45. In essence, all the essential elements of the visual cells were fully developed by hatching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Mun Wai
- Department of Anatomy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories
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Milam AH, Rose L, Cideciyan AV, Barakat MR, Tang WX, Gupta N, Aleman TS, Wright AF, Stone EM, Sheffield VC, Jacobson SG. The nuclear receptor NR2E3 plays a role in human retinal photoreceptor differentiation and degeneration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2002; 99:473-8. [PMID: 11773633 PMCID: PMC117584 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.022533099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2001] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Normal human retinal development involves orderly generation of rods and cones by complex mechanisms. Cell-fate specification involves progenitor cell lineage and external signals such as soluble factors and cell-cell interactions. In most inherited human retinal degenerations, including retinitis pigmentosa, a mutant gene causes loss of visual function, death of mature rods, and eventually death of all cone subtypes. Only one inherited retinal disorder, the enhanced S cone syndrome (ESCS), shows increased visual function, involving the minority S (blue) cones, and decreased rod and L/M (red/green) cone function. This autosomal recessive disease is caused by mutations in NR2E3, a photoreceptor nuclear receptor transcription factor, and may result from abnormal cell-fate determination, leading to excess S cones at the expense of other photoreceptor subtypes. In 16 ESCS patients with the most common NR2E3 mutation, R311Q, we documented an abnormal ratio of S to L/M cone function and progressive retinal degeneration. We studied the postmortem retina of an ESCS patient homozygous for NR2E3 R311Q. No rods were identified, but cones were increased approximately 2-fold, and 92% were S cones. Only 15% of the cones expressed L/M cone opsin, and some coexpressed S cone opsin. The retina was disorganized, with densely packed cones intermixed with inner retinal neurons. The retina was also degenerate, retaining photoreceptors in only the central and far peripheral regions. These observations suggest a key role for NR2E3 in regulation of human photoreceptor development. Degeneration of the NR2E3 retina may result from defective development, known S cone fragility, or abnormal maintenance of mature photoreceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann H Milam
- Scheie Eye Institute and F. M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Caffé AR, Ahuja P, Holmqvist B, Azadi S, Forsell J, Holmqvist I, Söderpalm AK, van Veen T. Mouse retina explants after long-term culture in serum free medium. J Chem Neuroanat 2001; 22:263-73. [PMID: 11719023 DOI: 10.1016/s0891-0618(01)00140-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The neonatal mouse retina remains viable as an explant in serum-supplemented growth media for more than 4 weeks. Interpretation of drug effects on this tissue is compromised by the enigmatic composition of the serum. We sought to remove this ambiguity by culturing neonatal as well as late postnatal mouse retina in serum-free nutrient medium. In this study three important observations were made, (1) there is histotypic development of neonatal as well as preservation of late postnatal mouse retinal structure during long-term culture in serum-free medium, although the late postnatal tissue tends to show some loss of cells in the outer nuclear layer. (2) Protein expression in explant photoreceptor cells was similar to that in the litter-matched ones, except for green cone opsin and interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein, although mRNA of the latter is present at similar amounts as in age-matched in vivo controls. (3) Cells of the inner retina stained by antibodies to calcium-binding proteins display some novel sprouting of processes. The results show that the mouse retina can be cultured as an explant for more than 4 weeks in a serum-free medium. This represents an important step forward because, (1) the possibility of interference of drug effects by unknown serum factors has been eliminated; and (2) the spent culture medium can be analyzed to investigate biomolecules released by the retina in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R Caffé
- Department of Ophthalmology, Biomedical Center-Wallenberg Retina Center, University of Lund, Klinikgatan 26, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
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Gjörloff K, Bruun A, Ghosh F. Cone photoreceptors in laminated retinal transplants. ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA 2001; 79:366-9. [PMID: 11453855 DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0420.2001.079004366.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the contents of green- and blue-sensitive cone photoreceptors in laminated rabbit retinal transplants. METHODS Eleven rabbits each received a sheet of embryonic neuroretina into the subretinal space in one eye. Vitrectomy was used in the procedure and properly polarized flat transplants were placed on the host pigment epithelium. After 17-309 days the transplants were examined immunohistochemically with specific antibodies against COS-1 (green-sensitive cones) and OS-2 (blue-sensitive cones). RESULTS All grafts displayed normal lamination with well developed photoreceptor outer segments apposed to the host retinal pigment epithelium. Occasionally, rosettes were found at the transplant edges. Both COS-1 positive and OS-2 positive cones were detected. In the laminated part of the grafts, COS-1 positive cones were more numerous than OS-2 positive ones. In the rosetted parts of the transplants the relationship between the cones was reversed. CONCLUSION Full-thickness embryonic rabbit retinal transplants develop into laminated retinas with well-developed photoreceptor outer segment. Both green- and blue-sensitive cone photoreceptors are present and the ratio between the two cone types is the same as in the normal adult rabbit retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Gjörloff
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
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Ng L, Hurley JB, Dierks B, Srinivas M, Saltó C, Vennström B, Reh TA, Forrest D. A thyroid hormone receptor that is required for the development of green cone photoreceptors. Nat Genet 2001; 27:94-8. [PMID: 11138006 DOI: 10.1038/83829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 383] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Color vision is facilitated by distinct populations of cone photoreceptors in the retina. In rodents, cones expressing different opsin photopigments are sensitive to middle (M, 'green') and short (S, 'blue') wavelengths, and are differentially distributed across the retina. The mechanisms that control which opsin is expressed in a particular cone are poorly understood, but previous in vitro studies implicated thyroid hormone in cone differentiation. Thyroid hormone receptor beta 2 (TR beta 2) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is expressed in the outer nuclear layer of the embryonic retina. Here we delete Thrb (encoding Tr beta 2) in mice, causing the selective loss of M-cones and a concomitant increase in S-opsin immunoreactive cones. Moreover, the gradient of cone distribution is disturbed, with S-cones becoming widespread across the retina. The results indicate that cone photoreceptors throughout the retina have the potential to follow a default S-cone pathway and reveal an essential role for Tr beta 2 in the commitment to an M-cone identity. Our findings raise the possibility that Thrb mutations may be associated with human cone disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ng
- Department of Human Genetics, Box 1498, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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45
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Szél A, Lukáts A, Fekete T, Szepessy Z, Röhlich P. Photoreceptor distribution in the retinas of subprimate mammals. JOURNAL OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. A, OPTICS, IMAGE SCIENCE, AND VISION 2000; 17:568-579. [PMID: 10708038 DOI: 10.1364/josaa.17.000568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Relevant data on the distribution of color cones are summarized, with special emphasis on the marked dorsoventral asymmetries observed in a number of mammalian species. In addition, an overview is given of studies that demonstrate the coexistence of two visual pigments within the same cone cell. The biological significance of these phenomena is discussed in conjunction with comparative immunocytochemical analyses of subprimate retinas. Based on various cone distribution patterns and temporal and spatial visual pigment coexpression, two models of cone photoreceptor differentiation are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Szél
- Department of Human Morphology, Semmelweis University of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
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Haider NB, Jacobson SG, Cideciyan AV, Swiderski R, Streb LM, Searby C, Beck G, Hockey R, Hanna DB, Gorman S, Duhl D, Carmi R, Bennett J, Weleber RG, Fishman GA, Wright AF, Stone EM, Sheffield VC. Mutation of a nuclear receptor gene, NR2E3, causes enhanced S cone syndrome, a disorder of retinal cell fate. Nat Genet 2000; 24:127-31. [PMID: 10655056 DOI: 10.1038/72777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 314] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Hereditary human retinal degenerative diseases usually affect the mature photoreceptor topography by reducing the number of cells through apoptosis, resulting in loss of visual function. Only one inherited retinal disease, the enhanced S-cone syndrome (ESCS), manifests a gain in function of photoreceptors. ESCS is an autosomal recessive retinopathy in which patients have an increased sensitivity to blue light; perception of blue light is mediated by what is normally the least populous cone photoreceptor subtype, the S (short wavelength, blue) cones. People with ESCS also suffer visual loss, with night blindness occurring from early in life, varying degrees of L (long, red)- and M (middle, green)-cone vision, and retinal degeneration. The altered ratio of S- to L/M-cone photoreceptor sensitivity in ESCS may be due to abnormal cone cell fate determination during retinal development. In 94% of a cohort of ESCS probands we found mutations in NR2E3 (also known as PNR), which encodes a retinal nuclear receptor recently discovered to be a ligand-dependent transcription factor. Expression of NR2E3 was limited to the outer nuclear layer of the human retina. Our results suggest that NR2E3 has a role in determining photoreceptor phenotype during human retinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- N B Haider
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Abstract
The molecular players that direct the development of mammalian photoreceptors are slowly coming into focus. A study that elucidates the cause of enhanced S-cone syndrome, a disorder that may be caused by a distortion of retinal cell fate, reveals one such factor-although questions about its effects remain.
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Shand J, Archer MA, Collin SP. Ontogenetic changes in the retinal photoreceptor mosaic in a fish, the black bream, Acanthopagrus butcheri. J Comp Neurol 1999; 412:203-17. [PMID: 10441751 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19990920)412:2<203::aid-cne2>3.0.co;2-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The morphological development of the photoreceptor mosaic was followed by light and electron microscopy in a specific region of dorsal retina of the black bream, Acanthopagrus butcheri (Sparidae, Teleostei), from hatching to eight weeks of age. The retina was differentiated when the larvae reached a total length of 3 mm (3-5 days posthatch). Single cones, arranged in tightly packed rows, were the only morphologically distinct type of photoreceptor present until the larvae were 6 mm (day 15) in standard length (SL). At this time, the rod nuclei had become differentiated and the ellipsoids of selected cones began to form subsurface cisternae along neighbouring cone membranes. In this way, double, triple, quadruple, and occasionally photoreceptor chains of up to 10 cones were formed. At 8 mm SL, there was little apparent order in the photoreceptor mosaic. However, concomitant with subsequent growth, quadruple and other multiple cone receptors disappeared, with the exception of the triple cones, which gradually reduced in both number and retinal coverage to be restricted to central retina by 15 mm SL (days 40-55). Following this stage, the arrangement of double and single cones peripheral to the region of triple cones in dorsal retina was transformed into the adult pattern of a regular mosaic of four double cones surrounding a single cone. These results demonstrate that an established photoreceptor mosaic of rows of single cones can be reorganised to form a regular square mosaic composed of single and double cones.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Shand
- Department of Zoology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia 6907, Australia.
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