PUBLICATION

Identification of the zebrafish homologues of IMPG2, a retinal proteoglycan

Authors
Castellini, M.E., Spagnolli, G., Poggi, L., Biasini, E., Casarosa, S., Messina, A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-230721-41
Date
2023
Source
Cell and tissue research   394(1): 93-105 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Poggi, Lucia
Keywords
Homology modelling, Inherited retinal dystrophies, Interphotoreceptor matrix proteoglycan 2, Photoreceptors, Zebrafish retinal development
MeSH Terms
  • Retina/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
  • Proteoglycans*/genetics
  • Proteoglycans*/metabolism
  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Retinal Dystrophies*
  • Phylogeny
(all 9)
PubMed
37470839 Full text @ Cell Tissue Res.
Abstract
Photoreceptor outer segments are surrounded by a carbohydrate-rich matrix, the interphotoreceptor matrix, necessary for physiological retinal function. Few roles for molecules characterizing the interphotoreceptor matrix have been clearly defined. Recent studies have found the presence of nonsense mutations in the interphotoreceptor matrix proteoglycan 2 (IMPG2) gene in patients affected by retinal dystrophies. IMPG2 encodes for a proteoglycan synthesized by photoreceptors and secreted in the interphotoreceptor matrix. Little is known about the structure and function of this protein, we thus decided to characterize zebrafish impg2. In zebrafish there are two Impg2 proteins, Impg2a and Impg2b. We generated a phylogenetic tree based on IMPG2 protein sequence similarity among vertebrates, showing a significant similarity between humans and teleosts. The human and zebrafish proteins share conserved domains, as also shown by homology models. Expression analyses of impg2a and impg2b show a continued expression in the photoreceptor layer starting from developmental stages and continuing through adulthood. Between 1 and 6 months post-fertilization, there is a significant shift of Impg2 expression toward the outer segment region, suggesting an increase in secretion. This raises intriguing hypotheses about its possible role(s) during retinal maturation, laying the groundwork for the generation of most needed models for the study of IMPG2-related inherited retinal dystrophies.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Figure Gallery (5 images)
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Expression
Phenotype
No data available
Mutations / Transgenics
No data available
Human Disease / Model
No data available
Sequence Targeting Reagents
No data available
Fish
Fish
AB/TU
1 - 1 of 1
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Antibodies
Orthology
Gene Orthology
impg2a
impg2b
1 - 2 of 2
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Engineered Foreign Genes
No data available
Mapping
No data available
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Citation
Castellini, M.E., Spagnolli, G., Poggi, L., Biasini, E., Casarosa, S., Messina, A. (2023) Identification of the zebrafish homologues of IMPG2, a retinal proteoglycan. Cell and tissue research. 394(1):93-105.