The retinal pigment epithelium as a developmental regulator of the neural retina.
Melanin-related agents regulate the development of the mammalian neural retina, because in albinos there are a range of retinal deficits including abnormal connections between the eye and brain, an underdeveloped central retina and a rod deficit. These deficits may arise because gradients of retinal development in the albino are delayed and the retina is abnormally proliferative, but also goes through a subsequent period of excessive cell death. This may be caused by a reduction in ocular DOPA in albinos as this is in the synthetic pathway of melanin and is a known cell cycle regulator.
Institute of Ophthalmology, UCL, London, UK. g.jeffery@ucl.ac.uk
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D016117:Albinism, Ocular / Q000196:embryology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development