Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
05:53
In vivo Electroporation of Developing Mouse Retina
Published on: June 24, 2011
ATP controls cell cycle and induces proliferation in the mouse developing retina
Alfred Sholl-Franco1, Lucianne Fragel-Madeira, Arciolanda da Canceição Cauaia Macama
1Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21949-900, Brazil. asholl@biof.ufrj.br
Summary
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stimulates cell proliferation in newborn mouse retinal explants by activating P2Y(1) receptors. This process involves promoting late-developing progenitors to enter the cell cycle, influencing cyclin D1 and p27(kip1) expression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Nucleotides, including adenosine triphosphate (ATP), are implicated as mitogens in developing retinal tissues.
- Previous studies suggested a role for nucleotides in chick retinal development.
- The specific mechanisms of ATP-mediated proliferation in mammalian retinal development require further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mitogenic effect of ATP on newborn mouse retinal explants.
- To determine the role of P2Y(1) receptors in ATP-induced retinal cell proliferation.
- To elucidate the cell cycle progression events influenced by ATP in retinal progenitors.
Main Methods:
- Cultured retinal explants from newborn C57bl/6 mice.
- Assessed cell proliferation using [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling.
- Investigated receptor distribution via immunohistochemistry and analyzed cell cycle regulators (cyclin D1, p27(kip1)) and mitotic markers (p-histone H3).
Main Results:
- P2Y(1) receptors were widely distributed in the mouse retina, co-localizing with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells.
- ATP and ADP, but not UTP, dose-dependently increased [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation, an effect blocked by the P2 antagonist PPADS.
- ATP treatment increased BrdU-positive cells in the neuroblastic layer and modulated cyclin D1 and p27(kip1) expression, indicating progression through the cell cycle.
Conclusions:
- ATP, acting through P2Y(1) receptors, induces proliferation of late-developing retinal progenitors in newborn mice.
- ATP facilitates cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase and subsequently to G2 phase.
- These findings highlight the role of purinergic signaling in mammalian retinal development and progenitor cell regulation.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Negative Regulator Molecules
Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
02:15M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis
Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle serve as safeguards and gatekeepers, allowing the cell cycle to progress in favorable conditions and slow or halt it in problematic ones. This regulation is known as the cell cycle control system.
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
02:38Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
01:28The Cell Cycle Control System
The cell cycle regulation directs how a cell proceeds from one phase to the next and begins mitosis. The cell cycle control system includes intracellular regulatory molecules and external triggers. They provide "stop" or "advance" signals and operate at specific cell cycle stages termed checkpoints to ensure that a particular process is completed before the cell advances to the next phase.
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
01:22PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast, mTORC2 consists of a rapamycin-insensitive companion...
02:39Positive Regulator Molecules
Mitotic cell division results in daughter cells that exactly resemble the parent cell. However, errors in the DNA replication or distribution of genetic material may lead to genetic mutations that may be passed down to every new cell formed from the resulting abnormal cell. Propagation of such mutant cells is restricted through checkpoint mechanisms present at different stages of the cell cycle. These checkpoints involve regulator molecules that either promote or demote cell cycle events.