title: Foxg1 is required to limit the formation of ciliary margin tissue and Wnt/β-catenin signalling in the developing nasal retina of the mouse.
abstract: The ciliary margin (CM) develops in the peripheral retina and gives rise to the iris and the ciliary body. The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway has been implicated in ciliary margin development. Here, we tested the hypothesis that in the developing mouse retina Foxg1 is responsible for suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and restricting CM development. We showed that there is excess CM tissue in Foxg1(-/-) null embryos and this expansion is more pronounced in the nasal retina where Foxg1 normally shows its highest expression levels. Results on expression of a reporter allele for Wnt/β-catenin signalling and of Lef1, a target of Wnt/β-catenin signalling, displayed significant upregulation of this pathway in Foxg1(-/-) nulls at embryonic days 12.5 and 14.5. Interestingly, this upregulation was observed specifically in the nasal retina, where normally very few Wnt-responsive cells are observed. These results indicate a suppressive role of Foxg1 on this signalling pathway. Our results reveal a new role of Foxg1 in limiting CM development in the nasal peripheral retina and add a new molecular player in the developmental network involved in CM specification.
authors.affiliation: University of Edinburgh, Centre for Integrative Physiology, Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK. vfotaki@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fotaki
authors.forename: Rowena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Price
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1 / Q000032:analysis; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051857:Otx Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis; D012160:Retina / Q000196:embryology*; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway / Q000502:physiology*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C489565:Foxg1 protein, mouse; C497574:Lef1 protein, mouse; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D051857:Otx Transcription Factors; C497656:Otx1 protein, mouse; D051176:beta Catenin
keywords: Ciliary margin; Eye development; Foxg1; Mouse; Wnt/β-catenin signalling