Distinct and conserved prominin-1/CD133-positive retinal cell populations identified across species.

ABSTRACT: Besides being a marker of various somatic stem cells in mammals, prominin-1 (CD133) plays a role in maintaining the photoreceptor integrity since mutations in the PROM1 gene are linked with retinal degeneration. In spite of that, little information is available regarding its distribution in eyes of non-mammalian vertebrates endowed with high regenerative abilities. To address this subject, prominin-1 cognates were isolated from axolotl, zebrafish and chicken, and their retinal compartmentalization was investigated and compared to that of their mammalian orthologue. Interestingly, prominin-1 transcripts--except for the axolotl--were not strictly restricted to the outer nuclear layer (i.e., photoreceptor cells), but they also marked distinct subdivisions of the inner nuclear layer (INL). In

SUBMITTER: Jaszai J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3047580 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature