| First Author | Wenzel A | Year | 2007 |
| Journal | Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci | Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 534-42 |
| PubMed ID | 17251447 | Mgi Jnum | J:123283 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3717947 | Doi | 10.1167/iovs.06-0652 |
| Citation | Wenzel A, et al. (2007) RPE65 is essential for the function of cone photoreceptors in NRL-deficient mice. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 48(2):534-42 |
| abstractText | PURPOSE: Phototransduction in cones is initiated by the bleaching of their visual pigment, which comprises a protein component-cone opsin-and a vitamin A derivative-11-cis retinal. Little is known about the source of 11-cis retinal for cones. In the current study, neural retina leucine zipper-deficient (Nrl(-/-)) and rod opsin (Rho(-/-))-deficient mice were used, two mouse models that have been described as having a 'cone-only' retina, to analyze the retinoid metabolism of cones. In addition, these mice were bred to retinal pigment epithelial protein 65 (Rpe65(-/-))-deficient mice to study the role of RPE65. METHODS: Mice were analyzed using morphology, Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, electroretinography (ERG), and retinoid profiling by HPLC. RESULTS: In comparison to wild-type mice, the retina of Nrl(-/-) mice contained elevated levels of RPE65 and cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein (CRALBP), suggesting a particular role of these two proteins for the retinoid metabolism of cones. In Nrl(-/-) mice, different retinoid species were present in proportions similar to wild type. Ablation of RPE65 in Nrl(-/-) and Rho(-/-) mice led to the absence of 11-cis retinal, but increased the total retinoid content, with retinyl esters representing the most abundant retinoid species. In the absence of RPE65, retinal sensitivity in Nrl(-/-) mice dropped by a factor of a thousand. CONCLUSIONS: The data show that RPE65, previously shown to be essential for rod function, is also indispensable for the production of 11-cis retinal for cones and thus for cone function. |
