RRC ID 70315
Author Oel AP, Neil GJ, Dong EM, Balay SD, Collett K, Allison WT.
Title Nrl Is Dispensable for Specification of Rod Photoreceptors in Adult Zebrafish Despite Its Deeply Conserved Requirement Earlier in Ontogeny.
Journal iScience
Abstract The transcription factor NRL (neural retina leucine zipper) has been canonized as the master regulator of photoreceptor cell fate in the retina. NRL is necessary and sufficient to specify rod cell fate and to preclude cone cell fate in mice. By engineering zebrafish, we tested if NRL function has conserved roles beyond mammals or beyond nocturnal species, i.e., in a vertebrate possessing a greater and more typical diversity of cone sub-types. Transgenic expression of Nrl from zebrafish or mouse was sufficient to induce rod photoreceptor cells. Zebrafish nrl-/- mutants lacked rods (and had excess UV-sensitive cones) as young larvae; thus, the conservation of Nrl function between mice and zebrafish appears sound. Strikingly, however, rods were abundant in adult nrl-/- null mutant zebrafish. Rods developed in adults despite Nrl protein being undetectable. Therefore, a yet-to-be-revealed non-canonical pathway independent of Nrl is able to specify the fate of some rod photoreceptors.
Volume 23(12)
Pages 101805
Published 2020-12-18
DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101805
PII S2589-0042(20)31002-6
PMID 33299975
PMC PMC7702016
IF 4.447
Resource
Zebrafish Tg(zfSWS1-5.5A:EGFP)kj9 Tg(zfRh1-3.7B:EGFP)kj2