title: Development and distribution of opsin-like immunoreactivity in the dystrophic retinas of rdle mutant mice.
abstract: The opsin-like immunoreactivity in the retinas of C57BL/6J rdle mutant mice has been studied by light-microscopic immunocytochemistry. Positively labeled cells were found in the normal heterozygous and homozygous mutant mouse outer nuclear layer (ONL) as early as postnatal day 3 (PN3). Beginning at PN10, in the retinas of the homozygous mutant mice, labeled photoreceptor cells rapidly decreased in number and disappeared after PN42. In the decreased ONL, remaining opsin-positive cells were labeled at higher density than those of controls. The retinal pigment epithelium was also moderately labeled during the loss of opsin-positive photoreceptor cells. In addition, sparse opsin-immunoreactive cells were demonstrated in the inner nuclear layer (INL) in the retinas of both the mutant and non-dystrophic mice as early as PN10 and are presumed to be ectopic photoreceptor cells. However, these displaced photoreceptor cells disappeared by PN28 in mutants along the same time course as those in the ONL but were still present in the PN28 retina of controls and seemed to be more abundant at later adult ages. There was no difference in the developmental regulation of opsin in the heterozygous and normal controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gaur
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012168:Retinal Pigments / Q000378:metabolism*; D017299:Rod Opsins; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D005136:Eye Proteins; D012168:Retinal Pigments; D017299:Rod Opsins