title: bcl-2 overexpression reduces apoptotic photoreceptor cell death in three different retinal degenerations.
abstract: Apoptosis of photoreceptors occurs infrequently in adult retina but can be triggered in inherited and environmentally induced retinal degenerations. The protooncogene bcl-2 is known to be a potent regulator of cell survival in neurons. We created lines of transgenic mice overexpressing bcl-2 to test for its ability to increase photoreceptor survival. Bcl-2 increased photoreceptor survival in mice with retinal degeneration caused by a defective opsin or cGMP phosphodiesterase. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in normal photoreceptors also decreased the damaging effects of constant light exposure. Apoptosis was induced in normal photoreceptors by very high levels of bcl-2. We conclude that bcl-2 is an important regulator of photoreceptor cell death in retinal degenerations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Flannery
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: LaVail
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D002470:Cell Survival; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D017931:DNA Primers; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D017299:Rod Opsins; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins