title: The challenge of modeling macular degeneration in mice.
abstract: Macular degenerations (MD), age-related or inherited, interfere with the ability to read, drive and recognize faces. Understanding this class of diseases has been challenging because the mouse, the mammal most amenable to genetic manipulation, lacks a macula. Here we discuss whether we can model MD in the mouse, present criteria for an 'ideal' mouse model of MD and discuss how mouse models have contributed to our knowledge of MD by contrasting how well they meet the 'ideal' criteria with how informative they have actually been. By modeling MD in mice, we can learn about aspects of MD that an animal with a macula would be unable to teach us.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of Arizona, 655 North Alvernon Way, Suite 108, Tucson, AZ 85711, USA. amarmorstein@eyes.arizona.edu
authors: Alan D
authors: AD
authors: Marmorstein
authors: Lihua Y
authors: LY
authors: Marmorstein
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005544:Forecasting; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D064531:Peripherins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C498834:Elovl4 protein, mouse; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; C120769:Fbln5 protein, mouse; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064531:Peripherins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins