IOVS AJP: Renal Physiology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

(Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2007;48:2503-2509.)
© 2007 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
DOI:  10.1167/iovs.06-1014
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplementary Material
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bandah, D.
Right arrow Articles by Sharon, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bandah, D.
Right arrow Articles by Sharon, D.

A Complex Expression Pattern of Pax6 in the Pigeon Retina

Dikla Bandah,1 Tomer Swissa,1 Gil Ben-Shlomo,2 Eyal Banin,1 Ron Ofri,2 and Dror Sharon1

1From the Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel; and the 2School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.

PURPOSE. The retina of some avian species contains two macular regions, making it an excellent model for retinal, and especially macular, development. Previous studies have provided evidence of the involvement of Pax6 in macular development. The purpose was to perform a comprehensive expression analysis of Pax6 isoforms in different regions of the pigeon retina.

METHODS. The different mRNA transcripts were amplified by RT-PCR and characterized by sequencing analysis. Semiquantitative PCR and quantitative real-time PCR analyses were used to study the level of expression of each transcript. Western blot analysis was performed on both the cytosolic and nuclear cell fractions.

RESULTS. An evolutionary analysis of all human-chicken retinal homologues revealed that Pax6 is one of the most conserved retinal genes. By alternative splicing and alternative initiation of transcription, Pax6 produces 41 different mRNA transcripts, encoding 17 protein isoforms in the pigeon retina, five of which are paired-less cytosolic proteins. Semiquantitative expression analysis revealed that the short, paired-less, transcripts have a relatively high level of expression. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of the central macula, red area, and peripheral retina revealed a spatial and temporal expression profile indicating that many Pax6 transcripts take a part in macular development.

CONCLUSIONS. These data suggest that Pax6, a highly conserved gene, can maintain evolutionarily conserved variability at the protein level by alternative splicing and initiation mechanisms, allowing it to perform multiple functions. The variability in the length of the paired domain suggests that the different Pax6 isoforms activate different sets of genes.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2007 by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology