title: Pias3-dependent SUMOylation controls mammalian cone photoreceptor differentiation.
abstract: Selective expression of retinal cone opsin genes is essential for color vision, but the mechanism mediating this process is poorly understood. Both vertebrate rod and medium wavelength-sensitive (M) cone photoreceptors differentiate by repression of a short wavelength-sensitive (S) cone differentiation program. We found that Pias3 acts in mouse cone photoreceptors to activate expression of M opsin and repress expression of S opsin, with the transcription factors Trbeta2 and Rxrgamma mediating preferential expression of Pias3 in M cones. Finally, we observed that Pias3 directly regulated M and S cone opsin expression by modulating the cone-enriched transcription factors Rxrgamma, Roralpha and Trbeta1. Our results indicate that Pias3-dependent SUMOylation of photoreceptor-specific transcription factors is a common mechanism that controls both rod and cone photoreceptor subtype specification, regulating distinct molecular targets in the two cell types.
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors: Akishi
authors: A
authors: Onishi
authors: Guang-Hua
authors: GH
authors: Peng
authors: Shiming
authors: S
authors: Chen
authors: Seth
authors: S
authors: Blackshaw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D055358:Cone Opsins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D050828:Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D017948:Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D025841:Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D055358:Cone Opsins; C109279:Pias3 protein, mouse; D050828:Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT; D025841:Small Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors