The Lgr5 transgene is expressed specifically in glycinergic amacrine cells in the mouse retina.
Retinal amacrine cells are a diverse set of interneurons within the inner nuclear layer. The canonical Wnt pathway is highly active within mature amacrine cells, but its role remains unclear. Leucine-rich repeat containing G-protein receptor 5 (Lgr5) is a newly identified component of the Wnt receptor complex that potentiates beta-catenin signaling. In multiple epithelial organs Lgr5 marks adult tissue stem cells. We investigated the expression of this gene using Lgr5-eGFP-IRES-CreER transgenic reporter mice. In the eye, Lgr5 was exclusively expressed in glycinergic amacrine cells in adult mice. Amacrine cells are post-mitotic and represent the first neuronal and non-stem cell lineage to express Lgr5. We further interrogated the spatiotemporal labeling of individual amacrine cells with controlled fluorophore expression. This "fluorofilling" technique provides a tool to study amacrine morphology and dissect neural networks.
Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Kumar
K
Sukhdeo
Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Catherine E
CE
Koch
Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Tyler E
TE
Miller
Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Hannah
H
Zhou
Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Maricruz
M
Rivera
Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Kenneth
K
Yan
Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Constance L
CL
Cepko
Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Justin D
JD
Lathia
Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA; Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. Electronic address: richj@ccf.org.
Jeremy N
JN
Rich
D025042:Amacrine Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018684:Glycine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
D018684:Glycine Agents; C493597:Lgr5 protein, mouse; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
Lgr5; Wnt; amacrine cells; markers; retina