Transcriptional regulation of photoreceptor development and homeostasis in the mammalian retina

A Swaroop, D Kim, D Forrest - Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2010 - nature.com
A Swaroop, D Kim, D Forrest
Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2010nature.com
In the developing vertebrate retina, diverse neuronal subtypes originate from multipotent
progenitors in a conserved order and are integrated into an intricate laminated architecture.
Recent progress in mammalian photoreceptor development has identified a complex
relationship between six key transcription-regulatory factors (RORβ, OTX2, NRL, CRX,
NR2E3 and TRβ2) that determine rod versus M cone or S cone cell fate. We propose a step-
wise'transcriptional dominance'model of photoreceptor cell fate determination, with the S …
Abstract
In the developing vertebrate retina, diverse neuronal subtypes originate from multipotent progenitors in a conserved order and are integrated into an intricate laminated architecture. Recent progress in mammalian photoreceptor development has identified a complex relationship between six key transcription-regulatory factors (RORβ, OTX2, NRL, CRX, NR2E3 and TRβ2) that determine rod versus M cone or S cone cell fate. We propose a step-wise 'transcriptional dominance' model of photoreceptor cell fate determination, with the S cone representing the default state of a generic photoreceptor precursor. Elucidation of gene-regulatory networks that dictate photoreceptor genesis and homeostasis will have wider implications for understanding the development of nervous system function and for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
nature.com