title: Vertebrate photoreceptor cell development and disease.
abstract: Photoreceptors provide an excellent model for studies of vertebrate neuronal differentiation, and many human diseases resulting in blindness primarily affect photoreceptors. There is therefore great interest in studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of photoreceptor development. This article discusses our current understanding of this process, including the recent discovery of the homeodomain transcription factor Crx and its potential role in diseases affecting human vision.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Genetics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Cepko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000166:cytology*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000209:etiology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; C109288:cone rod homeobox protein