Abnormal Electroretinogram after Kir7.1 Channel Suppression Suggests Role in Retinal Electrophysiology.

ABSTRACT: The KCNJ13 gene encodes the inwardly rectifying potassium channel, Kir7.1. Mutations in this gene cause childhood blindness, in which the a- and b-wave responses of electroretinogram (ERG) are abolished. The ERG a-wave is the light-induced hyperpolarization of retinal photoreceptors, and the b-wave is the depolarization of ON-bipolar cells. The Kir7.1 channel is localized to the apical aspects of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and contributes to a delayed c-wave response. We sought to understand why a defect in an RPE ion-channel result in abnormal electrophysiology at the level of the retinal neurons. We have established the expression of Kir7.1 channels in the mouse RPE. ERGs recorded after mice Kir7.1 suppression by shRNA, or by blocking with VU590, showed reduced a-, b- and c-w

SUBMITTER: Shahi PK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5587531 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature