Transcription co-repressors Panky and Panky-like are essential for retinal cone photoreceptor integrity and survival by modulating ganglioside metabolism
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE314562 | GEO | 2026/07/06
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Cone photoreceptors are the primary initiator of visual transduction in the human retina. Dysfunction or death of rod photoreceptors precedes cone loss in many retinal and macular degenerative diseases, suggesting a rod-dependent trophic support for cone survival. Rod differentiation and homeostasis are dependent on the basic motif leucine zipper transcription factor NRL. The loss of Nrl in mice (Nrl-/-) results in a retina with predominantly S-opsin containing cones that exhibit molecular and functional characteristics of WT cones. Here we report that Nrl-/- retina undergoes a rapid but transient period of degeneration in early adulthood, with cone apoptosis, retinal detachment, alterations in retinal vessel structure, and activation and translocation of retinal microglia. However, cone degeneration stabilizes by four months of age, resulting in a thinned but intact outer nuclear layer with residual cones expressing S- and M-opsins and a preserved photopic ERG. At this stage, microglia translocate back to the inner retina and reacquire a quiescent morphology. Gene profiling analysis during the period of transient degeneration reveals misregulation of stress response and inflammation genes, implying their involvement in cone death. The Nrl-/- retina illustrates the long-term viability of cones in the absence of rods and may serve as a model for elucidating mechanisms of cone homeostasis and degeneration that would be relevant to understanding diseases of the cone-dominant human macula. Targets were generated from a pair of retinas (one Nrl-/- mouse) per biological replicate. Four biological replicates were generated for each of the five aging timepoints (1, 2, 4, 6, and 10 months post natal).
2011-11-15 | E-GEOD-33674 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Cone photoreceptors are the primary initiator of visual transduction in the human retina. Dysfunction or death of rod photoreceptors precedes cone loss in many retinal and macular degenerative diseases, suggesting a rod-dependent trophic support for cone survival. Rod differentiation and homeostasis are dependent on the basic motif leucine zipper transcription factor NRL. The loss of Nrl in mice (Nrl-/-) results in a retina with predominantly S-opsin containing cones that exhibit molecular and functional characteristics of WT cones. Here we report that Nrl-/- retina undergoes a rapid but transient period of degeneration in early adulthood, with cone apoptosis, retinal detachment, alterations in retinal vessel structure, and activation and translocation of retinal microglia. However, cone degeneration stabilizes by four months of age, resulting in a thinned but intact outer nuclear layer with residual cones expressing S- and M-opsins and a preserved photopic ERG. At this stage, microglia translocate back to the inner retina and reacquire a quiescent morphology. Gene profiling analysis during the period of transient degeneration reveals misregulation of stress response and inflammation genes, implying their involvement in cone death. The Nrl-/- retina illustrates the long-term viability of cones in the absence of rods and may serve as a model for elucidating mechanisms of cone homeostasis and degeneration that would be relevant to understanding diseases of the cone-dominant human macula.
2011-11-15 | GSE33674 | GEO
Project description:The cone photoreceptor cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel is essential for central and color vision and visual acuity. Mutations in the channel subunits CNGA3 and CNGB3 are associated with achromatopsia and cone dystrophy. We investigated the gene expression profiles in mouse retina with CNG channel deficiency on a cone-dominant background, i.e., CNGA3-/-/Nrl-/- and CNGB3-/-/Nrl-/- mice, relative to Nrl-/- mice. Total RNA was isolated from 2 retinas per animal (CNGA3-/-/Nrl-/-, CNGB3-/-/Nrl-/-, and Nrl-/- mice). The background strain for these mutations was C57bl/6.
2013-07-03 | E-GEOD-40982 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The cone photoreceptor cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel is essential for central and color vision and visual acuity. Mutations in the channel subunits CNGA3 and CNGB3 are associated with achromatopsia and cone dystrophy. We investigated the gene expression profiles in mouse retina with CNG channel deficiency on a cone-dominant background, i.e., CNGA3-/-/Nrl-/- and CNGB3-/-/Nrl-/- mice, relative to Nrl-/- mice.
2013-07-03 | GSE40982 | GEO
Project description:Cone photoreceptors are specialised sensory retinal neurons responsible for photopic vision, colour perception and visual acuity. Retinal degenerative diseases are a heterogeneous group of eye diseases in which the most severe vision loss typically arises from cone photoreceptor dysfunction or degeneration. Establishing a method to purify cone photoreceptors from retinal tissue can accelerate the identification of key molecular determinants that underlie cone photoreceptor development, survival and function. The work herein describes a new method to purify enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-labelled cone photoreceptors from adult retina of Tg(3.2TαCP:EGFP) zebrafish. Electropherograms confirmed downstream isolation of high-quality RNA with RNA integrity number (RIN) >7.6 and RNA concentration >5.7 ng/µl obtained from both populations. Reverse Transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) confirmed that the EGFP-positive cell populations express known genetic markers of cone photoreceptors that were not expressed in the EGFP-negative cell population. This work is an important step towards the identification of cone photoreceptor-enriched genes, protein and signalling networks responsible for their development, survival and function. In addition, this advancement facilitates the identification of novel candidate genes for inherited human blindness. In order to analyse and sort samples by flow cytometry, values for FSC and SSC were displayed in a logarithmic scale, as this is normally the default starting display. This allowed for the identification of different sub-populations of cells present in the retina, which were mixed with unwanted cell debris and cell fragments. Since there were multiple cell populations, different levels of auto-fluorescence were thus successfully detected. It was therefore important to change the strategy and display side scatter and fluorescence characteristics of control and EGFP samples, which ultimately allowed the identification of the extremely well-defined population of EGFP-cone photoreceptors. This improved sorting process minimised RNA degradation. The purified EGFP+ cone photoreceptors represent ~5% of the original dissociated population, which is consistent with humans, wherein the total number of cones (6 million) in the retina is approximately 20 times the one of rods (120 million) (Williamson and Cummins 1983). This work allows high-quality RNA to be obtained from sorted-adult cone photoreceptors. RNA integrity is assessed via 28S and 18S rRNA (Imbeaud et al 2005), and our electropherogram results demonstrate production of high-quality RNA with two clearly visible ribosomal peaks (28S and 18S) from EGFP-sorted cones. In addition, the RNA Integrity Number (RIN), an algorithm for assigning integrity values to RNA based on 28S to 18S rRNA ratios (Sambrook et al 1989; Imbeaud et al 2005; Schroeder et al 2006), had a value of 7.6, higher than the minimum-required 7.0. RNA yields of 5.7 ng/µl were relatively high and sufficient for downstream profiling. RT-PCR confirmed expression of the cone specific gene gnat2, and promoter fragment TαC, but not the retinal pigment epithelium specific gene rpe65 in flow cytometry-sorted GFP-positive photoreceptors (GFP+ cells). rpe65 was neither present in flow cytometry-sorted GFP-negative cones (GFP- cells) as this gene is only expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). This study therefore permits the identification of cone photoreceptor-enriched genes, protein and signalling networks responsible for their development, survival and function. In addition, this advancement facilitates the identification of novel candidate genes for inherited human blindness.
2017-10-31 | GSE86155 | GEO
Project description:In retinal degenerative diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), loss of photoreceptors at the macula leads to blindness. Among photoreceptors, rod cells are more vulnerable to degenerative stress than cone cells. Following disruption of neural retina leucine zipper (NRL) expression induced by knockout or the CRISPR/Cas9 system, rod cells have been shown to gain increased expression of several cone cell markers and demonstrate improved survival under degenerative pressure, consequently preventing secondary cone cell degeneration. Here, we report an mRNA silencing approach in which a cell-penetrating asymmetric small interfering RNA (cp-asiRNA) targeting NRL (cp-asiNRL) in postmitotic photoreceptors was used to suppress the expression of the NRL, which determines the fate of developing photoreceptors to rod cells. In mouse models of RP and neovascular AMD, intravitreal delivery of cp-asiNRL substantially increased the expression of cone-specific genes among the photoreceptor population and improved rod cell survival. Furthermore, in retinal organoids, cp-asiNRL also increased the production of photoreceptors expressing cone-specific markers. Our data suggest that cp-asiNRL-mediated NRL suppression in rod cells may be a promising strategy for treating retinal degenerative diseases.
2025-07-30 | GSE266377 | GEO
Project description:Photoreceptor loss is a leading cause of blindness, but mechanisms underlying photoreceptor degeneration are not well understood. Treatment strategies would benefit from an improved understanding of gene-expression patterns directing photoreceptor development, as many genes are implicated in both development and degeneration. Neural retina leucine zipper (NRL) is critical for rod photoreceptor genesis and degeneration, with NRL mutations known to cause enhanced S-cone syndrome and retinitis pigmentosa. While murine Nrl loss has been characterized, studies of human NRL can identify important insights for human retinal disease. Here we utilized human organoid models of retinal development to molecularly define developmental alterations in a human model of NRL loss. Consistent with the function of NRL in rod fate specification, human retinal organoids lacking NRL develop S-opsin dominant photoreceptor populations. We report generation of two distinct S-opsin expressing populations in NRL null retinal organoids and identify MEF2C as a candidate regulator of cone development.
2020-01-15 | GSE143669 | GEO
Project description:Rod and cone photoreceptors in mammalian retina are generated from common pool(s) of neuroepithelial progenitors. NRL, CRX and NR2E3 are key transcriptional regulators that control photoreceptor differentiation. Mutations in NR2E3, a rod-specific orphan nuclear receptor, lead to loss of rods, increased density of S-cones, and supernormal S-cone-mediated vision in humans. To better understand its in vivo function, NR2E3 was expressed ectopically in the Nrl-/- retina, where post-mitotic precursors fated to be rods develop into functional S-cones similar to the human NR2E3 disease. Expression of NR2E3 in the Nrl-/- retina completely suppressed cone differentiation and resulted in morphologically rod-like photoreceptors, which were not functional. Gene profiling of FACS-purified photoreceptors confirmed the role of NR2E3 as a strong suppressor of cone genes and an activator of a subset of rod genes (including rhodopsin) in vivo. Ectopic expression of NR2E3 in cone precursors and differentiating S-cones of wild type retina also generates rod-like cells. The dual regulatory function of NR2E3 is not dependent upon the presence of NRL and/or CRX, but on the timing and level of its expression. Our studies reveal a critical role of NR2E3 in establishing functional specificity of post-mitotic photoreceptor precursors during retinal neurogenesis. Experiment Overall Design: We mated the Crx::Nr2e3/Nrlko mice with the Nrl::GFP transgenic mice, in which the expression of GFP is driven by an Nrl promoter. Mouse retinas were dissected at 4 wk. GFP+ photoreceptors were enriched by FACS (FACSAria, BD Biosciences, Franklin Lakes, NJ). RNA was extracted from 1~5x105 flow-sorted cells using Trizol (Invitrogen). Total RNA (40-60 ng) was used for linear amplification with Ovation Biotin labeling system (Nugen), and 2.75 ug of biotin-labeled fragmented cDNA was hybridized to mouse GeneChips MOE430.2.0 (Affymetrix) having 45,101 probesets (corresponding to over 39,000 transcripts, and 34,000 annotated mouse genes). Experiment Overall Design: Four independent samples were used at 4 weeks. We normalized Experiment Overall Design: Crx::Nr2e3/Nrl-ko-Gfp data along with Nrl-ko-Gfp 4 weeks samples ( 4 replicates, refer to Series submission GSE4051). The normalized data was then subjected to two stage analysis based on False Discovery Rate Confidence Interval (FDR-CI) for screening differentially expressed genes (24, 27) with a minimum fold change of 4.
2008-06-13 | E-GEOD-5338 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Rod and cone photoreceptors in mammalian retina are generated from common pool(s) of neuroepithelial progenitors. NRL, CRX and NR2E3 are key transcriptional regulators that control photoreceptor differentiation. Mutations in NR2E3, a rod-specific orphan nuclear receptor, lead to loss of rods, increased density of S-cones, and supernormal S-cone-mediated vision in humans. To better understand its in vivo function, NR2E3 was expressed ectopically in the Nrl-/- retina, where post-mitotic precursors fated to be rods develop into functional S-cones similar to the human NR2E3 disease. Expression of NR2E3 in the Nrl-/- retina completely suppressed cone differentiation and resulted in morphologically rod-like photoreceptors, which were not functional. Gene profiling of FACS-purified photoreceptors confirmed the role of NR2E3 as a strong suppressor of cone genes and an activator of a subset of rod genes (including rhodopsin) in vivo. Ectopic expression of NR2E3 in cone precursors and differentiating S-cones of wild type retina also generates rod-like cells. The dual regulatory function of NR2E3 is not dependent upon the presence of NRL and/or CRX, but on the timing and level of its expression. Our studies reveal a critical role of NR2E3 in establishing functional specificity of post-mitotic photoreceptor precursors during retinal neurogenesis. Keywords: genetic modification
2006-08-18 | GSE5338 | GEO
Project description:A LHX4 transgenic reporter line with high specificity for developing mouse cone photoreceptors was identified and used to purify early stage cone photoreceptors for profiling by single cell RNA sequencing.
2019-06-06 | GSE132272 | GEO