First published online November 10, 2005
Development 132, 2301e (2005)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
A guiding role for retinoic acid
During the development of the neural retina, neighbouring neurons in the
retina send projections to adjacent regions in higher brain centres. Retinal
gradients of axonal guidance molecules underlie the formation of this
topographic map, but what establishes these gradients? On p.
5147, Sen et al.
report that in the chick retina, retinoic acid (RA) regulates the expression
of the dorsoventral (DV) topographic guidance molecules EphB2, EphB3 and
ephrin B2. They show that expression of a dominant-negative RA receptor
reduces expression of EphB2 and EphB3 in the ventral retina and of ephrin B2
in the dorsal retina, and that the transcription factor Vax, which regulates
the expression of these guidance molecules, functions upstream or parallel to
RA. The researchers conclude that RA signalling is important for the
establishment of the topographic map in the retina through its regulation of
axon guidance.
Related articles in Development:
- Retinoic acid regulates the expression of dorsoventral topographic guidance molecules in the chick retina
- Jonaki Sen, Sanjiv Harpavat, Maureen A. Peters, and Constance L. Cepko
Development 2005 132: 5147-5159.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
