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Published on: August 4, 2018
N-myc coordinates retinal growth with eye size during mouse development
Rodrigo A P Martins1, Frederique Zindy, Stacy Donovan
1Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
Genes & Development
|January 17, 2008
Summary
N-myc protein regulates retinal progenitor cell proliferation and coordinates eye growth. Its absence causes a hypocellular retina, but simultaneous inactivation of p27Kip1 rescues this, indicating N-myc
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Ophthalmology
- Molecular genetics
Background:
- Myc family proteins are essential regulators of cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival during development.
- The specific role of Myc family members in retinal development and eye growth remains largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of N-myc in retinal progenitor cells and its role in coordinating overall eye development.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which N-myc regulates retinal cell proliferation and growth.
Main Methods:
- Utilized N-myc-deficient mouse models to study retinal development.
- Analyzed gene expression patterns, focusing on cell cycle regulators like p27Kip1 and cyclin D1.
- Performed acute inactivation studies of N-myc and p27Kip1 to assess rescue phenotypes.
Main Results:
- N-myc is expressed in retinal progenitor cells and autonomously regulates their proliferation.
- N-myc-deficient retinas are hypocellular but proportionally sized to the eye; N-myc represses p27Kip1 expression.
- Simultaneous inactivation of N-myc and p27Kip1 rescues the hypocellular retinal phenotype.
Conclusions:
- N-myc is crucial for regulating retinal progenitor cell proliferation and coordinating the growth of the retina and eye.
- N-myc acts upstream of the cell cycle machinery, influencing retinal growth independently of cell fate specification, differentiation, or survival.
- This study provides the first characterization of a Myc family member's role in retinal development and a mouse model for proportional hypocellular retinas.
