Cellular expression of midkine-a and midkine-b during retinal development and photoreceptor regeneration in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: In the retina of adult teleosts, stem cells are sustained in two specialized niches: the ciliary marginal zone (CMZ) and the microenvironment surrounding adult Müller glia. Recently, Müller glia were identified as the regenerative stem cells in the teleost retina. Secreted signaling molecules that regulate neuronal regeneration in the retina are largely unknown. In a microarray screen to discover such factors, we identified midkine-b (mdkb). Midkine is a highly conserved heparin-binding growth factor with numerous biological functions. The zebrafish genome encodes two distinct midkine genes: mdka and mdkb. Here we describe the cellular expression of mdka and mdkb during retinal development and the initial, proliferative phase of photoreceptor regeneration. The results show that in the embr

SUBMITTER: Calinescu AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3190967 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature