Targeted RNAi screen identifies transcriptional mechanisms that prevent premature degeneration of adult photoreceptors.

ABSTRACT: Aging is associated with a decline in visual function and increased prevalence of ocular disease, correlating with changes in the transcriptome and epigenome of cells in the eye. Here, we sought to identify the transcriptional mechanisms that are necessary to maintain photoreceptor viability and function during aging. To do this, we performed a targeted photoreceptor-specific RNAi screen in Drosophila to identify transcriptional regulators whose knockdown results in premature, age-dependent retinal degeneration. From an initial set of 155 RNAi lines each targeting a unique gene and spanning a diverse set of transcription factors, chromatin remodelers, and histone modifiers, we identified 18 high-confidence target genes whose decreased expression in adult photoreceptors leads to prem

SUBMITTER: Escobedo SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10603763 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature