title: Transcriptional regulation of photoreceptor development and homeostasis in the mammalian retina.
abstract: In the developing vertebrate retina, diverse neuronal subtypes originate from multipotent progenitors in a conserved order and are integrated into an intricate laminated architecture. Recent progress in mammalian photoreceptor development has identified a complex relationship between six key transcription-regulatory factors (RORbeta, OTX2, NRL, CRX, NR2E3 and TRbeta2) that determine rod versus M cone or S cone cell fate. We propose a step-wise 'transcriptional dominance' model of photoreceptor cell fate determination, with the S cone representing the default state of a generic photoreceptor precursor. Elucidation of gene-regulatory networks that dictate photoreceptor genesis and homeostasis will have wider implications for understanding the development of nervous system function and for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology-Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory, Building 6/338, MSC 0610, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, 6 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. swaroopa@nei.nih.gov
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Swaroop
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Forrest
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic