| First Author | Chen J | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 93 |
| Issue | 14 | Pages | 7042-7 |
| PubMed ID | 8692941 | Mgi Jnum | J:34084 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:81558 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.93.14.7042 |
| Citation | Chen J, et al. (1996) bcl-2 overexpression reduces apoptotic photoreceptor cell death in three different retinal degenerations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 93(14):7042-7 |
| abstractText | Apoptosis of photoreceptors occurs infrequently in adult retina but can be triggered in inherited and environmentally induced retinal degenerations. The protooncogene bcl-2 is known to be a potent regulator of cell survival in neurons. We created lines of transgenic mice overexpressing bcl-2 to test for its ability to increase photoreceptor survival, bcl-2 increased photoreceptor survival in mice with retinal degeneration caused by a defective opsin or cGMP phosphodiesterase. Overexpression of Bcl-2 in normal photoreceptors also decreased the damaging effects of constant light exposure. Apoptosis was induced in normal photoreceptors by very high levels of bcl-2. We conclude that bcl-2 is an important regulator of photoreceptor cell death in retinal degenerations. |
