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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

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Generating Retinal Injury Models in Xenopus Tadpoles
Published on: October 13, 2023
Dicer inactivation causes heterochronic retinogenesis in Xenopus laevis
Sarah Decembrini1, Massimiliano Andreazzoli, Giuseppina Barsacchi
1Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Italy.
The International Journal of Developmental Biology
|October 29, 2008
Abstract:
Maturation of miRNAs by dicer is required in vertebrates for normal neural development. Here we report that dicer inactivation in Xenopus affects cell cycle progression, survival and timing of the generation of retinal cells, resulting in small retinas with lamination defects. In particular, dicer inactivation delays the exit from the cell cycle and the translation of key genes of late neurogenesis, highlighting a crucial role of miRNAs in retinal development.
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X-Inactivation
The human X chromosome contains over ten times the number of genes as in the Y chromosome. Since males have only one X chromosome, and females have two, one might expect females to produce twice as many of the proteins, with undesirable results.
In-vitro Mutagenesis
To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.

