Zac1 functions through TGFbetaII to negatively regulate cell number in the developing retina.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Organs are programmed to acquire a particular size during development, but the regulatory mechanisms that dictate when dividing progenitor cells should permanently exit the cell cycle and stop producing additional daughter cells are poorly understood. In differentiated tissues, tumor suppressor genes maintain a constant cell number and intact tissue architecture by controlling proliferation, apoptosis and cell dispersal. Here we report a similar role for two tumor suppressor genes, the Zac1 zinc finger transcription factor and that encoding the cytokine TGFbetaII, in the developing retina.

Results

Using loss and gain-of-function approaches, we show that Zac1 is an essential negative regulator of retinal size. Zac1 mutants develop hypercellular retinae due to incre

SUBMITTER: Ma L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1913510 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature