Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Anatomy of the Eyeball

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The Logic of Thalamic Inputs onto the Molecular Taxonomy of Cortical Neurons Reveals a Visual Hierarchy.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Roles of sonic hedgehog signaling in retinal patterning and neurogenesis during mammalian eye development.

Development (Cambridge, England)·2026

Same author

Uncoupling neocortical neuron fate and migration via a Let-7-RBX2 axis.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Serial analysis of macular and circumpapillary structures in glaucomatous eyes with peripapillary retinoschisis.

Canadian journal of ophthalmology. Journal canadien d'ophtalmologie·2026

Same author

WTR: A Toolkit for Functional Anterograde Transsynaptic Circuit Mapping.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Actin depolymerization promotes axon regeneration by restoring axonal mitochondrial transport in mouse models of optic neuropathy.

Science translational medicine·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2025

Time-Lapse Imaging of Neuronal Arborization using Sparse Adeno-Associated Virus Labeling of Genetically Targeted Retinal Cell Populations

Time-Lapse Imaging of Neuronal Arborization using Sparse Adeno-Associated Virus Labeling of Genetically Targeted Retinal Cell Populations

Published on: March 19, 2021

Afadin Sorts Different Retinal Neuron Types into Accurate Cellular Layers.

Matthew R Lum¹, Sachin H Patel¹, Hannah K Graham¹

¹Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology

|January 7, 2025

Summary

Afadin is crucial for retinal neuron positioning. Mutants scramble neuron layers, impairing visual function and RGC axon targeting, revealing Afadin

Keywords:

Afadin Amacrine Cells Cell adhesion Neuronal Migration Retina Retinal Ganglion Cells

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Using the Split Retina Technique for Enhanced Access and Accelerated Experiments

Author Spotlight: Using the Split Retina Technique for Enhanced Access and Accelerated Experiments

Published on: January 16, 2024

Immunostaining of Whole-Mount Retinas with the CLARITY Tissue Clearing Method

Immunostaining of Whole-Mount Retinas with the CLARITY Tissue Clearing Method

Published on: March 6, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 3, 2025

Time-Lapse Imaging of Neuronal Arborization using Sparse Adeno-Associated Virus Labeling of Genetically Targeted Retinal Cell Populations

Time-Lapse Imaging of Neuronal Arborization using Sparse Adeno-Associated Virus Labeling of Genetically Targeted Retinal Cell Populations

Published on: March 19, 2021

Author Spotlight: Using the Split Retina Technique for Enhanced Access and Accelerated Experiments

Author Spotlight: Using the Split Retina Technique for Enhanced Access and Accelerated Experiments

Published on: January 16, 2024

Immunostaining of Whole-Mount Retinas with the CLARITY Tissue Clearing Method

Immunostaining of Whole-Mount Retinas with the CLARITY Tissue Clearing Method

Published on: March 6, 2021

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Cell Biology

Background:

Cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs) mediate neuronal interactions, influencing development.
Intracellular signaling downstream of CAMs remains poorly understood.
Afadin links CAMs to the cytoskeleton, but its role in neural development is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of Afadin in retinal neuron development and organization.
To determine if Afadin influences neuron type specification, survival, or laminar positioning.
To assess the impact of Afadin deficiency on visual function and neural circuit formation.

Main Methods:

Generated conditional Afadin mutants in the retina using Six3-Cre.
Analyzed retinal neuron distribution, fate specification, and survival in mutants.
Examined RGC axon targeting to the superior colliculus.
Assessed visual function in mutant mice.

Main Results:

Afadin mutants exhibit scrambled distribution of Bipolar Cells, Amacrine Cells, and Retinal Ganglion Cells across retinal layers.
Neuron fate specification and survival are unaffected by Afadin deficiency.
RGCs maintain synaptic partners, suggesting Afadin is not essential for initial synapse formation.
Mutants show impaired visual function and mis-targeted RGC axons.

Conclusions:

Afadin plays a critical role in the laminar positioning of retinal neurons.
Proper neuron sorting by Afadin is essential for organized visual processing.
Afadin's function in neuron positioning is independent of cell fate determination and survival.