Targeting of GFP to Newborn Rods by Nrl Promoter and Temporal Expression Profiling of Flow-sorted Photoreceptors

Overview

Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Specialty Science

Date 2006 Mar 1

PMID 16505381

Citations 189

Authors

Masayuki Akimoto

Hong Cheng

Dongxiao Zhu

Joseph A Brzezinski

Ritu Khanna

Elena Filippova

Edwin C T Oh

Yuezhou Jing

Jose-Luis Linares

Matthew Brooks

Sepideh Zareparsi

Alan J Mears

Alfred Hero

Tom Glaser

Anand Swaroop

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The Maf-family transcription factor Nrl is a key regulator of photoreceptor differentiation in mammals. Ablation of the Nrl gene in mice leads to functional cones at the expense of rods. We show that a 2.5-kb Nrl promoter segment directs the expression of enhanced GFP specifically to rod photoreceptors and the pineal gland of transgenic mice. GFP is detected shortly after terminal cell division, corresponding to the timing of rod genesis revealed by birthdating studies. In Nrl-/- retinas, the GFP+ photoreceptors express S-opsin, consistent with the transformation of rod precursors into cones. We report the gene profiles of freshly isolated flow-sorted GFP+ photoreceptors from wild-type and Nrl-/- retinas at five distinct developmental stages. Our results provide a framework for establishing gene regulatory networks that lead to mature functional photoreceptors from postmitotic precursors. Differentially expressed rod and cone genes are excellent candidates for retinopathies.

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