spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

First published online 29 August 2007
doi: 10.1242/dev.02884

Development 134, 3483-3493 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
dev.02884v1
134/19/3483    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Müller, F.
Right arrow Articles by Vogel-Höpker, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Müller, F.
Right arrow Articles by Vogel-Höpker, A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Bone morphogenetic proteins specify the retinal pigment epithelium in the chick embryo

Frank Müller*, Hermann Rohrer and Astrid Vogel-Höpker{dagger}

Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research, Department of Neurochemistry, Deutschordenstr. 46, 60528 Frankfurt/M., Germany.

{dagger} Author for correspondence (e-mail: veithopker{at}aol.com)

Accepted 9 July 2007

In vertebrates, the neuroepithelium of the optic vesicle is initially multipotential, co-expressing a number of transcription factors that are involved in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina (NR) development. Subsequently, extrinsic signals emanating from the surrounding tissues induce the separation of the optic vesicle into three domains: the optic stalk/nerve, the NR and the RPE. Here, we show that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are sufficient and essential for RPE development in vivo. Bmp4 and Bmp7 are expressed in the surface ectoderm overlying the optic vesicle, the surrounding mesenchyme and/or presumptive RPE during the initial stages of eye development. During the initial stages of chick eye development the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf), important for RPE development, is expressed in the optic primordium that is covered by the BMP-expressing surface ectoderm. Following BMP application, the optic neuroepithelium, including the presumptive optic stalk/nerve and NR domain, develop into RPE as assessed by the expression of Otx2, Mitf, Wnt2b and the pigmented cell marker MMP115. By contrast, interfering with BMP signalling prevents RPE development in the outer layer of the optic cup and induces NR-specific gene expression (e.g. Chx10). Our results show that BMPs are sufficient and essential for RPE development during optic vesicle stages. We propose a model in which the BMP-expressing surface ectoderm initiates RPE specification by inducing Mitf expression in the underlying neuroepithelium of the optic vesicle.

Key words: BMP, Eye development, Retinal pigment epithelium, RPE specification


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
J. S. Meyer, R. L. Shearer, E. E. Capowski, L. S. Wright, K. A. Wallace, E. L. McMillan, S.-C. Zhang, and D. M. Gamm
From the Cover: Modeling early retinal development with human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells
PNAS, September 29, 2009; 106(39): 16698 - 16703.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 DevelopmentHome page
P. Westenskow, S. Piccolo, and S. Fuhrmann
{beta}-catenin controls differentiation of the retinal pigment epithelium in the mouse optic cup by regulating Mitf and Otx2 expression
Development, August 1, 2009; 136(15): 2505 - 2510.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 DevelopmentHome page
Y. Ishii, K. Weinberg, I. Oda-Ishii, L. Coughlin, and T. Mikawa
Morphogenesis and cytodifferentiation of the avian retinal pigmented epithelium require downregulation of Group B1 Sox genes
Development, August 1, 2009; 136(15): 2579 - 2589.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Biol. Chem.Home page
D. Zhu, J. Wu, C. Spee, S. J. Ryan, and D. R. Hinton
BMP4 Mediates Oxidative Stress-induced Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Senescence and Is Overexpressed in Age-related Macular Degeneration
J. Biol. Chem., April 3, 2009; 284(14): 9529 - 9539.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2007