Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Making the gradient: thyroid hormone regulates cone opsin expression in the developing mouse retina.

Melanie R Roberts1, Maya Srinivas, Douglas Forrest

  • 1Graduate Program in Neurobiology and Behavior and Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Box 357420, Seattle, WA 98195-7420, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|April 12, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cellular expression domains of type 3 deiodinase in the meninges, choroid plexus, tanycytes and barrier tissues of the brain.

Frontiers in endocrinology·2026
Same author

Retinoic acid regulates foveal development in the human retina.

Cell reports·2026
Same author

The human THRB thyroid hormone receptor gene and the puzzle of retinal disease phenotypes.

Developmental biology·2026
Same author

A cell fate specification and transition mechanism for human foveolar cone subtype patterning.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

The genesis of neurons and glia in the developing retina.

Current topics in developmental biology·2025
Same author

CUT&TIME captures the history of open chromatin in developing neurons.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Thyroid hormone (TH) regulates cone opsin expression in the developing mouse retina. TH inhibits short-wavelength (S)-opsin and activates medium-wavelength (M)-opsin, influencing cone type patterning.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Ophthalmology

Background:

  • Mammalian vision relies on cone photoreceptors expressing medium (M) or short (S) wavelength opsins.
  • Cone type number and organization vary across species, adapting retinas to diverse visual environments.
  • In mice, S- and M-opsin exhibit opposing dorsal-ventral gradients, a pattern previously linked to thyroid hormone beta2 (TRbeta2).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of thyroid hormone (TH) in regulating S- and M-opsin expression and patterning in the mouse retina.
  • To determine how TH availability influences cone photoreceptor development and the establishment of opsin gradients.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized exogenous and endogenous thyroid hormone (TH) administration and manipulation.
  • Analyzed S- and M-opsin expression patterns in mouse retinas at different developmental stages.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Investigated the binding of TH to the TRbeta2 receptor.

    • Main Results:

    • Exogenous TH inhibited S-opsin expression while activating M-opsin expression.
    • Endogenous TH binding to TRbeta2 was essential for both S-opsin inhibition and M-opsin activation.
    • TH levels showed a gradient, increasing dorsally by postnatal day 10, coinciding with M-opsin onset.

    Conclusions:

    • Thyroid hormone (TH) is a critical regulator of both S- and M-opsin expression during retinal development.
    • A TH gradient in the retina may establish the M-opsin gradient.
    • TH availability during development likely determines cone type ratios and spatial patterning.