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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

4-Dimensional Imaging of Zebrafish Optic Cup Morphogenesis
Published on: May 26, 2021
Mechanisms of Photoreceptor Patterning in Vertebrates and Invertebrates
Kayla Viets1, Kiara Eldred1, Robert J Johnston1
1Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218-2685 USA.
Abstract:
Across the animal kingdom, visual systems have evolved to be uniquely suited to the environments and behavioral patterns of different species. Visual acuity and color perception depend on the distribution of photoreceptor (PR) subtypes within the retina. Retinal mosaics can be organized into three broad categories: stochastic/regionalized, regionalized, and ordered. We describe here the retinal mosaics of flies, zebrafish, chickens, mice, and humans, and the gene regulatory networks controlling proper PR specification in each. By drawing parallels in eye development between these divergent species, we identify a set of conserved organizing principles and transcriptional networks that govern PR subtype differentiation.
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