title: Expression of the MAS proto-oncogene in the retinal pigment epithelium of the rhesus macaque.
abstract: The MAS proto-oncogene codes for a seven transmembrane protein which has been previously localized to specific regions of the hippocampus and cerebral cortex in the rat central nervous system. Because MAS has biological properties related to the growth and differentiation of cells of neuroectodermal origin, we investigated the distribution of MAS expression in the rhesus macaque retina by in situ hybridization. A 330 base pair (bp) segment of the human MAS sequence was subcloned and used to generate single-stranded cRNA probes for these studies. Our results demonstrated little, if any, positive signal over the neurons of the retina. The use of epi-polarization microscopy, however, revealed a distinct positive labelling of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. These studies suggest the use of MAS as a possible marker for the retinal pigment epithelium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitaoka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharif
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Hjelmeland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001483:Base Sequence; D015415:Biomarkers; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D015870:Gene Expression; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases