Advertisement
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Taurine promotes the differentiation of a vertebrate retinal cell type in vitro
D. Altshuler, J.J. Lo Turco, J. Rush, C. Cepko
Development 1993 119: 1317-1328;

Summary

The retina offers a model system for investigating the mechanisms that control cell type determination and differentiation in the vertebrate central nervous system. Previously, rod photoreceptor development in vitro was found to require a diffusible activity released by retinal cells (D. Altshuler and C. Cepko, Development 114, 947–957, 1992). In this report, we show that retinal-cell-conditioned medium and extracts contain two separable activities that influence rod development: a > 10 kDa inhibitory activity, and a stimulatory activity that is < 1 kDa and heat stable. Taurine was found to be a component of the < 1 kDa fraction and to stimulate rod development when added to retinal cultures. Taurine was not the only rod-promoting factor in these retinal preparations, however, as conditioned medium and extracts stimulated a higher level of rod development than did taurine alone. Taurine uptake into cells could be blocked without inhibiting taurine's ability to stimulate rod development, arguing against an osmoregulatory or nutritive mechanism of action. Finally, a competitive antagonist of taurine's bioactivity was identified and shown partially to inhibit rod development in retinal explants, suggesting that taurine may normally act to stimulate rod development in the retina. These results provide evidence for three activities, one of which is taurine, that are candidate regulators of rod photoreceptor development in vivo.

REFERENCES

    1. Adler R.,
    2. Hatlee M.
    (1989). Plasticity and differentiation of embryonic retinal cells after terminal mitosis. Science 243, 391–3
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Altshuler D.,
    2. Cepko C.
    (1992). A temporally regulated, diffusible activity is required for rod photoreceptor development in vitro. Development 114, 947–959
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Braun T.,
    2. Rudnicki M. A.,
    3. Arnold H.-H.,
    4. Jaenisch R.
    (1992). Targeted inactivation of the muscle regulatory gene Myf-5 results in abnormal rib development and perinatal death. Cell 71, 369–382
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Harris W. A.,
    2. Messersmith S. L.
    (1992). Two cellular inductions involved in photoreceptor determination in the Xenopus retina. Neuron 9, 357–372
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Hayes K. C.,
    2. Carey R. E.,
    3. Schmidt S. Y.
    (1975). Retinal degeneration associated with taurine deficiency in the cat. Science 188, 949–951
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Hicks D.,
    2. Courtois Y.
    (1992). Fibroblast growth factor stimulates photoreceptor differentiation in vitro. J. Neurosci 12, 2022–2033
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Holt C. E.,
    2. Bertsch T. W.,
    3. Ellis H. M.,
    4. Harris W. A.
    (1988). Cellular determination in the Xenopus retina is independent of lineage and birth date. Neuron 1, 15–26
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Hunter D. D.,
    2. Murphy M. D.,
    3. Olsson C. V.,
    4. Brunken W. J.
    (1992). S-laminin expression in adult and developing retina: a potential cue for photoreceptor morphogenesis. Neuron 8, 399–413
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Lillien L. E.,
    2. Sendtner M.,
    3. Rohrer H.,
    4. Hughes S. M.,
    5. Raff M. C.
    (1988). Type-2 astrocyte development in rat brain cultures is initiated by a CNTF-like protein produced by type-1 astroctyes. Neuron 1, 485–494
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Lipton S.,
    2. Kater S.
    (1989). Neurotransmitter regulation of neuronal outgrowth, plasticity and survival. Trends in Neurosci 12, 265–270
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Lombardini J. B.
    (1991). Taurine: retinal function. Brain Research Reviews 16, 151–169
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Moon R. T.,
    2. Christian J. L.
    (1992). Competence modifiers synergize with growth factors during mesoderm induction and patterning in Xenopus. Cell 71, 709–712
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Palackal T.,
    2. Moretz R.,
    3. Wisniewski H.,
    4. Sturman J.
    (1986). Abnormal visual cortex development in the kitten associated with maternal dietary taurine depletion. J. Neurosci. Res 15, 223–239
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Reh T. A.
    (1992). Cellular interactions determine neuronal phenotypes in rodent retinal cultures. J. Neurobiology 23, 1067–1083
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Rudnicki M. A.,
    2. Braun T.,
    3. Hinuma S.,
    4. Jaenisch R.
    (1992). Inactivation of MyoD in mice leads to up-regulation of the myogenic HLH gene Myf-5 and results in apparently normal muscle development. Cell 71, 383–390
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Sturman J. A.
    (1988). Taurine in development. J. Nutr 118, 1169–1176
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Sturman J. A.,
    2. Gargano A. D.,
    3. Messing J. M.,
    4. Imaki H.
    (1986). Feline maternal taurine deficiency: effect on mother and offspring. J. Nutr 116, 655–667
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Sturman J. A.,
    2. Moretz R. C.,
    3. French J. H.,
    4. Wisniewski H. M.
    (1985). Taurine deficiency in the developing cat: persistence of the cerebellar external granule cell layer. J. Neurosc. Res 13, 405–416
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Turner D. L.,
    2. Cepko C. L.
    (1987). A common progenitor for neurons and glia persists in rat retina late in development. Nature 328, 131–136
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Turner D. L.,
    2. Snyder E. Y.,
    3. Cepko C. L.
    (1990). Lineage-independent determination of cell type in the embryonic mouse retina. Neuron 4, 833–845
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Watanabe T.,
    2. Raff M. C.
    (1990). Rod photoreceptor development in vitro: intrinsic properties of proliferating neuroepithelial cells change as development proceeds in the rat retina. Neuron 4, 461–467
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Watanabe T.,
    2. Raff M. C.
    (1992). Diffusible rod-promoting signals in the developing rat retina. Development 114, 899–906
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Wetts R.,
    2. Fraser S. E.
    (1988). Multipotent precursors can give rise to all major cell types of the frog retina. Science 239, 1142–1145
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
Back to top

 Download PDF

Email
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Taurine promotes the differentiation of a vertebrate retinal cell type in vitro
D. Altshuler, J.J. Lo Turco, J. Rush, C. Cepko
Development 1993 119: 1317-1328;
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Alerts

Article navigation

Other journals from The Company of Biologists

Advertisement

Kathryn Virginia Anderson (1952-2020)

Developmental geneticist Kathryn Anderson passed away at home on 30 November 2020. Tamara Caspary, a former postdoc and friend, remembers Kathryn and her remarkable contribution to developmental biology.

Zooming into 2021

In a new Editorial, Editor-in-Chief James Briscoe and Executive Editor Katherine Brown reflect on the triumphs and tribulations of the last 12 months, and look towards a hopefully calmer and more predictable year.

Read & Publish participation extends worldwide

Over 60 institutions in 12 countries are now participating in our Read & Publish initiative. Here, James Briscoe explains what this means for his institution, The Francis Crick Institute. Find out more and view our full list of participating institutions.

Upcoming special issues

Imaging Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration
Submission deadline: 30 March 2021
Publication: mid-2021

The Immune System in Development and Regeneration
Guest editors: Florent Ginhoux and Paul Martin
Submission deadline: 1 September 2021
Publication: Spring 2022

Both special issues welcome Review articles as well as Research articles, and will be widely promoted online and at key global conferences.

Development presents...

Our successful webinar series continues into 2021, with early-career researchers presenting their papers and a chance to virtually network with the developmental biology community afterwards. Sign up to join our next session:

10 February
Time: 13:00 (GMT)
Chaired by: preLights