De novo assembly and annotation of the retinal transcriptome for the Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis ansorgei).

ABSTRACT: Cone photoreceptors are required for color vision and high acuity vision, and they die in a variety of retinal degenerations, leading to irreversible vision loss and reduced quality of life. To date, there are no approved therapies that promote the health and survival of cones. The development of novel treatments targeting cones has been challenging and impeded, in part, by the limitations inherent in using common rodent model organisms, which are nocturnal and rod-dominant, to study cone biology. The African Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis ansorgei), a diurnal animal whose photoreceptor population is more than 30% cones, offers significant potential as a model organism for the study of cone development, biology, and degeneration. However, a significant limitation in using the A. ansorgei reti

SUBMITTER: Liu MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5536302 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature