Pph13 and orthodenticle define a dual regulatory pathway for photoreceptor cell morphogenesis and function.

ABSTRACT: The function and integrity of photoreceptor cells are dependent upon the creation and maintenance of specialized apical structures: membrane discs/outer segments in vertebrates and rhabdomeres in insects. We performed a molecular and morphological comparison of Drosophila Pph13 and orthodenticle (otd) mutants to investigate the transcriptional network controlling the late stages of rhabdomeric photoreceptor cell development and function. Although Otd and Pph13 have been implicated in rhabdomere morphogenesis, we demonstrate that it is necessary to remove both factors to completely eliminate rhabdomere formation. Rhabdomere absence is not the result of degeneration or a failure of initiation, but rather the inability of the apical membrane to transform and elaborate into a rhabdomere. Trans

SUBMITTER: Mishra M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2938920 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature