Novel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling.

PURPOSE: The macula is essential for visual acuity. It contains many more cone photoreceptors than does the peripheral retina. In this study, macular gene expression was compared with that in the rod-rich peripheral retina. METHODS: Two-millimeter foveomacular and four-millimeter macular punches fr...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hornan, D, Peirson, S, Hardcastle, A, Molday, R, Cheetham, M, Webster, A
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2007
_version_ 1797094466279964672
author Hornan, D
Peirson, S
Hardcastle, A
Molday, R
Cheetham, M
Webster, A
author_facet Hornan, D
Peirson, S
Hardcastle, A
Molday, R
Cheetham, M
Webster, A
author_sort Hornan, D
collection OXFORD
description PURPOSE: The macula is essential for visual acuity. It contains many more cone photoreceptors than does the peripheral retina. In this study, macular gene expression was compared with that in the rod-rich peripheral retina. METHODS: Two-millimeter foveomacular and four-millimeter macular punches from human donor eyes, in addition to sections of midperipheral retina, were used to study differential gene expression. Multiple microarray experiments were combined with quantitative PCR and bioinformatic analyses. In the present study, the expression of both known and previously unidentified retinal genes was determined. RESULTS: Several macula enriched transcripts were revealed. Nuclear pore complex interacting protein (NPIP) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha kinase (GCN2) were expressed at levels approaching that of red/green cone opsin in the macula. The protein products of several genes highlighted using these expression analyses were also localized in the retina. Both NPIP and histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) proteins were detected in cone photoreceptor outer segments. CONCLUSIONS: Characterizing macula enriched transcripts is an important stepping-stone in understanding the molecular basis for visual acuity in the retina. The approach also provides excellent candidates for diseases that affect the macula and fovea such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Indeed, several of these transcripts, such as NPIP and GCN2, have genomic loci that are consistent with being candidate genes for AMD.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T04:14:27Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:c8f0d7de-0d0c-428c-8e56-6fd4cebe3c24
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T04:14:27Z
publishDate 2007
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:c8f0d7de-0d0c-428c-8e56-6fd4cebe3c242022-03-27T06:55:31ZNovel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:c8f0d7de-0d0c-428c-8e56-6fd4cebe3c24EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2007Hornan, DPeirson, SHardcastle, AMolday, RCheetham, MWebster, A PURPOSE: The macula is essential for visual acuity. It contains many more cone photoreceptors than does the peripheral retina. In this study, macular gene expression was compared with that in the rod-rich peripheral retina. METHODS: Two-millimeter foveomacular and four-millimeter macular punches from human donor eyes, in addition to sections of midperipheral retina, were used to study differential gene expression. Multiple microarray experiments were combined with quantitative PCR and bioinformatic analyses. In the present study, the expression of both known and previously unidentified retinal genes was determined. RESULTS: Several macula enriched transcripts were revealed. Nuclear pore complex interacting protein (NPIP) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha kinase (GCN2) were expressed at levels approaching that of red/green cone opsin in the macula. The protein products of several genes highlighted using these expression analyses were also localized in the retina. Both NPIP and histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) proteins were detected in cone photoreceptor outer segments. CONCLUSIONS: Characterizing macula enriched transcripts is an important stepping-stone in understanding the molecular basis for visual acuity in the retina. The approach also provides excellent candidates for diseases that affect the macula and fovea such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Indeed, several of these transcripts, such as NPIP and GCN2, have genomic loci that are consistent with being candidate genes for AMD.
spellingShingle Hornan, D
Peirson, S
Hardcastle, A
Molday, R
Cheetham, M
Webster, A
Novel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling.
title Novel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling.
title_full Novel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling.
title_fullStr Novel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling.
title_full_unstemmed Novel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling.
title_short Novel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling.
title_sort novel retinal and cone photoreceptor transcripts revealed by human macular expression profiling
work_keys_str_mv AT hornand novelretinalandconephotoreceptortranscriptsrevealedbyhumanmacularexpressionprofiling
AT peirsons novelretinalandconephotoreceptortranscriptsrevealedbyhumanmacularexpressionprofiling
AT hardcastlea novelretinalandconephotoreceptortranscriptsrevealedbyhumanmacularexpressionprofiling
AT moldayr novelretinalandconephotoreceptortranscriptsrevealedbyhumanmacularexpressionprofiling
AT cheethamm novelretinalandconephotoreceptortranscriptsrevealedbyhumanmacularexpressionprofiling
AT webstera novelretinalandconephotoreceptortranscriptsrevealedbyhumanmacularexpressionprofiling