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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Transretinal ERG Recordings from Mouse Retina: Rod and Cone Photoresponses

Transretinal ERG Recordings from Mouse Retina: Rod and Cone Photoresponses

Published on: March 14, 2012

Electrical responses from human retinal cone pathways associate with a common genetic polymorphism implicated in

Xiaofan Jiang^1,2,3, Zihe Xu^2,3, Talha Soorma²

¹Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, United Kingdom.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|May 20, 2022

Summary

Myopia, a common vision impairment, may involve altered signaling in cone-driven OFF pathways. Genetic variants near the GJD2 gene are linked to changes in electroretinogram responses, particularly those driven by cones.

Keywords:

OFF signaling pathways electroretinography gap junctions myopia retinal cone photoreceptor cells

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Last Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Transretinal ERG Recordings from Mouse Retina: Rod and Cone Photoresponses

Transretinal ERG Recordings from Mouse Retina: Rod and Cone Photoresponses

Published on: March 14, 2012

Simultaneous ex vivo Functional Testing of Two Retinas by in vivo Electroretinogram System

Simultaneous ex vivo Functional Testing of Two Retinas by in vivo Electroretinogram System

Published on: May 6, 2015

Direct-Coupled Electroretinogram DC-ERG for Recording the Light-Evoked Electrical Responses of the Mouse Retinal Pigment Epithelium

Direct-Coupled Electroretinogram DC-ERG for Recording the Light-Evoked Electrical Responses of the Mouse Retinal Pigment Epithelium

Published on: July 14, 2020

Area of Science:

Ophthalmology
Genetics
Neuroscience

Background:

Myopia is the most common visual impairment, often resulting from an excessively long eye.
Genetic factors contribute to myopia risk, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
The GJD2 gene (connexin-36) is genetically linked to myopia, forming retinal gap junctions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the association between a myopia-associated genetic locus near GJD2 and retinal function.
To explore the role of connexin-36 in light-evoked retinal neuronal responses.
To determine if specific retinal pathways are implicated in myopia development.

Main Methods:

Analyzed electroretinogram (ERG) responses from 186 adult twin volunteers genotyped at the GJD2 locus.
Utilized standard and experimental ERG protocols to differentiate rod- and cone-driven responses.
Employed mixed linear models to assess associations between allelic dosage and ERG parameters, adjusting for covariates.
Examined single-cell transcriptome data for GJD2 expression patterns in retinal cells.

Main Results:

Significant associations were found between the GJD2 locus and parameters of light-adapted ERG responses, but not dark-adapted responses.
Associations were specifically linked to cone-driven a-wave amplitudes, not rod-driven ones.
Transcriptome analysis indicated strongest GJD2 expression in cone photoreceptors and OFF-bipolar cells.

Conclusions:

Altered signaling in cone-driven OFF pathways may play a role in myopia development.
The findings suggest a functional link between GJD2, retinal gap junctions, and visual signaling relevant to myopia.
This research provides insights into the cellular mechanisms contributing to myopia.