Retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor RORbeta is an early-acting factor in rod photoreceptor development.
Rods and cones are morphologically and developmentally distinct photoreceptor types with different functions in vision. Cones mediate daylight and color vision and in most mammals express M and S opsin photopigments for sensitivity to medium-long and short light wavelengths, respectively. Rods mediate dim light vision and express rhodopsin photopigment. The transcription factor networks that direct differentiation of each photoreceptor type are incompletely defined. Here, we report that Rorb(-/-) mice lacking retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor beta lose rods but overproduce primitive S cones that lack outer segments. The phenotype reflects pronounced plasticity between rod and cone lineages and resembles that described for Nrl(-/-) mice lacking neural retina leucine zipper factor. Rorb(-/-) mice lack Nrl expression and reexpression of Nrl in Rorb(-/-) mice converts cones to rod-like cells. Thus, Rorb directs rod development and does so at least in part by inducing the Nrl-mediated pathway of rod differentiation.
Jia
Li
L
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Clinical Endocrinology Branch, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Oh
Edwin C T
EC
Ng
Lily
L
Srinivas
Maya
M
Brooks
Matthew
M
Swaroop
Anand
A
Forrest
Douglas
D
D000818:Animals; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000502:physiology; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D057095:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 2; D055355:Opsins / Q000235:genetics; D057093:Orphan Nuclear Receptors; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*; D017948:Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000235:genetics
D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D005136:Eye Proteins; C485736:Nr2e3 protein, mouse; C084884:Nrl protein, mouse; D057095:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 2; D055355:Opsins; D057093:Orphan Nuclear Receptors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; C539741:Rorb protein, mouse; D012243:Rhodopsin