@article{a47a5896687546bb93de74ec8417c2f5,
title = "Mutations that affect the survival of selected amacrine cell subpopulations define a new class of genetic defects in the vertebrate retina",
abstract = "Amacrine neurons are among the most diverse cell classes in the vertebrate retina. To gain insight into mechanisms vital to the production and survival of amacrine cell types, we investigated a group of mutations in three zebrafish loci: kleks (kle), chiorny (chy), and bergmann (bgm). Mutants of all three genes display a severe loss of selected amacrine cell subpopulations. The numbers of GABA-expressing amacrine interneurons are sharply reduced in all three mutants, while cell loss in other amacrine cell subpopulations varies and some cells are not affected at all. To investigate how amacrine cell loss affects retinal function, we performed electroretinograms on mutant animals. While the kle mutation mostly influences the function of the inner nuclear layer, unexpectedly the chy mutant phenotype also involves a loss of photoreceptor cell activity. The precise ratios and arrangement of amacrine cell subpopulations suggest that cell-cell interactions are involved in the differentiation of this cell class. To test whether defects of such interactions may be, at least in part, responsible for mutant phenotypes, we performed mosaic analysis and demonstrated that the loss of parvalbumin-positive amacrine cells in chy mutants is due to extrinsic (cell-nonautonomous) causes. The phenotype of another amacrine cell subpopulation, the GABA-positive cells, does not display a clear cell-nonautonomy in chy animals. These results indicate that environmental factors, possibly interactions among different subpopulations of amacrine neurons, are involved in the development of the amacrine cell class.",
keywords = "Amacrine neuron, Cell death, Cell fate, Degeneration, Electroretinogram, Neurotrophins, Retina, Zebrafish",
author = "Andrei Avanesov and Ralf Dahm and {Van Bebber}, F. and E. Busch-Nentwich and R. Dahm and Frohnhofer, {H. G.} and H. Geiger and D. Gilmour and S. Holley and J. Hooge and D. Julich and F. Maderspacher and Maischein, {H. M.} and C. Neumann and T. Nicolson and C. Nusslein-Volhard and H. Roehl and U. Schonberger and C. Seiler and C. Sollner and M. Sonawane and A. Wehner and C. Weiler and P. Erker and H. Habeck and U. Hagner and {Hennen Kaps}, {C. E.} and A. Kirchner and T. Koblizek and U. Langheinrich and C. Loeschke and C. Metzger and R. Nordin and J. Odenthal and M. Pezzuti and K. Schlombs and J. DeSantana-Stamm and T. Trowe and G. Vacun and B. Walderich and A. Walker and C. Weiler and Sewell, {William F.} and Malicki, {Jarema J.}",
note = "Funding Information: The authors thank Dr. Clint Makino for comments on an earlier version of the manuscript, Jens Hooge for technical assistance with sectioning zebrafish larvae during the large-scale ENU mutagenesis screen, Dr. Ed Mroz for advice regarding statistical analysis, and Norm Michaud for help with electron and confocal microscopy. Jeff Seamans was indispensable for organizing the timely delivery of reagents, while Andria Schibler and Mateo Nenadovic provided assistance with setting up crosses and collecting embryos. Dr. Michael Sandberg, Basil Pawlyk, and members of the John Dowling, as well as Stefan Neuhauss laboratories provided helpful suggestions regarding electroretinography. The anti-carbonic anhydrase antibody was provided by Dr. Paul Linser. Studies presented in this publication were supported by grants from the National Eye Institute (to JM) and the Glaucoma Foundation (to JM) and the Dept. of Ophthalmology core grant for Vision Research, P30EY14104. RD was supported by a Long-term Fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and the Max-Planck-Society.",
year = "2005",
month = sep,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1016/j.ydbio.2005.06.009",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "285",
pages = "138--155",
journal = "Developmental Biology",
issn = "0012-1606",
publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",
number = "1",
}