title: Expression of Drosophila omb-related T-box genes in the developing human and mouse neural retina.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the role of Drosophila optomotor blind (omb)-related T-box genes in development of human and mouse retina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mouse Tbx2, Tbx3, and Tbx5 and human TBX2 cDNAs were isolated from retinal cDNA libraries by hybridization to the Drosophila omb gene. Gene expression patterns in developing retina were analyzed by in situ hybridization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TBX2/Tbx2, TBX3/Tbx3, and TBX5/Tbx5 were expressed asymmetrically across the embryonic neural retina with highest levels of mRNA within dorsal and peripheral retina. The dorsoventral gradient of TBX2 expression disappeared before the ganglion cell layer (GCL) formed. Its expression then became restricted to the inner neuroblastic retina and later to the GCL and inner nuclear layer (INL). The dorsal expression domains of TBX5/Tbx5 and TBX3/Tbx3 were maintained during formation of the GCL. As the retina matured, TBX3/Tbx3 expression was restricted to the INL, and TBX5/Tbx5 was expressed within the GCL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression pattern of TBX2, TBX3, and TBX5 within the developing retina supports the idea that the encoded transcription factors play a role in providing positional information important for topographic mapping and in differentiation of distinct cell types across the laminar axis of the retina.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology Unit, Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, United Kingdom. j.sowden@ich.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sowden
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meins
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology; D005333:Fetus / Q000502:physiology; D015870:Gene Expression; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics*; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012160:Retina / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C097348:T-Box Domain Protein 2; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; C103172:T-box transcription factor 5; C106884:TBX3 protein, human; C491460:Tbx3 protein, mouse; C072962:bi protein, Drosophila