PUBLICATION
The pineal gland in wild-type and two zebrafish mutants with retinal defects
- Authors
- Allwardt, B.A. and Dowling, J.E.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-020605-9
- Date
- 2001
- Source
- Journal of neurocytology 30(6): 493-501 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Allwardt, Brenda, Dowling, John E.
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Mutation/genetics*
- Retinal Diseases/genetics
- Retinal Diseases/pathology
- Retina/pathology
- Retina/ultrastructure*
- Zebrafish/anatomy & histology
- Zebrafish/genetics*
- Zebrafish/growth & development
- Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate/pathology
- Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate/ultrastructure*
- Animals
- Pineal Gland/pathology
- Pineal Gland/ultrastructure*
- PubMed
- 12037465 Full text @ J. Neurocytol.
Citation
Allwardt, B.A. and Dowling, J.E. (2001) The pineal gland in wild-type and two zebrafish mutants with retinal defects. Journal of neurocytology. 30(6):493-501.
Abstract
Light and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the ultrastructural features of the pineal glands of wild-type and two mutant zebrafish strains that have retinal defects. Particular attention was given to the pineal photoreceptors. Photoreceptors in the pineal gland appear quite similar to retinal cone photoreceptors, having many of the same structural characteristics including outer segment disk membranes often confluent with the plasma membrane, calycal processes surrounding the outer segments, and classic connecting cilia. The pineal photoreceptor terminals differ from photoreceptor terminals in the retina in that they have short synaptic ribbons and make dyad synapses which may or may not be invaginated. Pineal photoreceptors in two zebrafish mutants with abnormal retinal photoreceptors were also studied. Pineal photoreceptors in the niezerka (nie) mutant degenerate, as they do in the retina, indicating that pineal and retinal photoreceptors share at least some genes. However, the synaptic terminals of no optokinetic response c (nrc) pineal photoreceptors are normal, suggesting that this mutation is specific to the retina.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping