PUBLICATION
Nok plays an essential role in maintaining the integrity of the outer nuclear layer in the zebrafish retina
- Authors
- Wei, X., Zou, J., Takechi, M., Kawamura, S., and Li, L.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-060323-7
- Date
- 2006
- Source
- Experimental Eye Research 83(1): 31-44 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Kawamura, Shoji, Wei, Xiangyun
- Keywords
- retinal patterning, nagie oko (nok), outer limiting membrane, outer nuclear layer, zebrafish, photoreceptor
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Cadherins/genetics
- Cell Adhesion/genetics
- Cell Movement/genetics
- Eye Proteins/genetics*
- Guanylate Cyclase/genetics*
- Immunohistochemistry/methods
- Membrane Proteins/analysis
- Membrane Proteins/genetics
- Mutation
- Phosphoproteins/analysis
- Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate/metabolism
- Retina/metabolism*
- Rosette Formation
- Zebrafish
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics*
- Zonula Occludens-1 Protein
- PubMed
- 16530752 Full text @ Exp. Eye. Res.
Citation
Wei, X., Zou, J., Takechi, M., Kawamura, S., and Li, L. (2006) Nok plays an essential role in maintaining the integrity of the outer nuclear layer in the zebrafish retina. Experimental Eye Research. 83(1):31-44.
Abstract
Proper visual function of the vertebrate retina requires the maintenance of the integrity of the retinal outer nuclear layer (ONL), which is often affected in many blinding human retinal diseases. While the structural integrity of the ONL has long been considered to be maintained primarily through the outer limiting membrane (OLM), we have little knowledge on the development and maintenance of the OLM itself. Here, by analyzing the adhering properties of photoreceptors in zebrafish N-cad and nok mutants, we demonstrated for the first time that the nok gene is essential for the establishment and/or maintenance of the OLM. In addition, our results imply the possibility that Nok, Crumbs, and their associated proteins may constitute a type of photoreceptor-photoreceptor junctional complex that has not be described before. Thus, our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms by which the integrity of the ONL is maintained in the vertebrate retina.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping