title: Opsin synthesis in the C57BL/6-mivit/mivit mouse model of retinal degeneration.
abstract: The capacity of photoreceptor cells to synthesize opsin was evaluated in a newly-described mouse model of retinal degeneration, the C57BL/6-mivit/mivit. The mivit/mivit mouse loses photoreceptor cells at a rate of about one row per month beginning at 8 weeks, ROS are severely disrupted at 4 months, RPE is unevenly pigmented. Retinas of affected and control mice ages 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 and 52 weeks were incubated for 2 hours in medium containing [3H] leucine. Homogenates of retina samples were subjected to SDS-PAGE using disc gels. The gels were sliced and counted by scintillation. The incorporation of [3H] leucine into opsin was compared with its incorporation into other retinal proteins. During the early time points studied, mivit/mivit retinas incorporated proportionately similar amounts of [3H] leucine into opsin versus other retinal proteins as did controls. At 12 weeks, the percentage was about 80% and it continued to decline over the succeeding weeks studied. By 1 year, the proportion of leucine incorporated into opsin versus other proteins was only about 23% the amount incorporated in controls. The results of the present study suggest that the mivit/mivit photoreceptor cells are able to synthesize opsin and the gradual decline in synthetic ability follows the gradual loss of cells and is not correlated with the disruption of ROS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-2000.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Cope
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D003623:Dark Adaptation; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D007930:Leucine / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism*; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D017299:Rod Opsins; D007930:Leucine