Developmental and daily expression of the Pax4 and Pax6 homeobox genes in the rat retina: localization of Pax4 in photoreceptor cells.

ABSTRACT: Pax4 is a homeobox gene encoding Pax4, a transcription factor that is essential for embryonic development of the endocrine pancreas. In the pancreas, Pax4 counters the effects of the related transcription factor, Pax6, which is known to be essential for eye morphogenesis. In this study, we have discovered that Pax4 is strongly expressed in retinal photoreceptors of the rat. Pax4 expression is not detectable in the foetal eye; however, postnatal Pax4 transcript levels rapidly increase. In contrast, Pax6 exhibits an inverse developmental pattern of expression being more strongly expressed in the foetal eye. Histological analysis revealed that Pax4 mRNA is exclusively expressed in the retinal photoreceptors, whereas Pax6 mRNA and protein are present in the inner nuclear layer and in the gangl

SUBMITTER: Rath MF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6528810 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature