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Characterization Of Neural Damage And Neuroinflammation In Pax6 Small-eye Mice
Experimental Eye Research
  • James D. Cole
  • John A. McDaniel
  • Joelle Nilak
  • Ashley Ban
  • Carlos Rodriguez
  • Zuhaad Hameed
  • Marta Grannonico
  • Peter A. Netland
  • Hu Yang, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Ignacio Provencio
  • Xiaorong Liu
Abstract

Aniridia is a panocular condition characterized by a partial or complete loss of the iris. It manifests various developmental deficits in both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye, leading to a progressive vision loss. The homeobox gene PAX6 plays an important role in ocular development and mutations of PAX6 have been the main causative factors for aniridia. In this study, we assessed how Pax6-haploinsufficiency affects retinal morphology and vision of Pax6Sey mice using in vivo and ex vivo metrics. We used mice of C57BL/6 and 129S1/Svlmj genetic backgrounds to examine the variable severity of symptoms as reflected in human aniridia patients. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) was observed in Pax6Sey mice starting from post-natal day 20 (P20). Correspondingly, visual acuity showed a steady age-dependent decline in Pax6Sey mice, though these phenotypes were less severe in the 129S1/Svlmj mice. Local retinal damage with layer disorganization was assessed at P30 and P80 in the Pax6Sey mice. Interestingly, we also observed a greater number of activated Iba1+ microglia and GFAP + astrocytes in the Pax6Sey mice than in littermate controls, suggesting a possible neuroinflammatory response to Pax6 deficiencies.

Department(s)
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Comments
Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Grant R01EY029121
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2023 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
1-1-2024
Publication Date
01 Jan 2024
PubMed ID
37979905
Citation Information
James D. Cole, John A. McDaniel, Joelle Nilak, Ashley Ban, et al.. "Characterization Of Neural Damage And Neuroinflammation In Pax6 Small-eye Mice" Experimental Eye Research Vol. 238 (2024) ISSN: 1096-0007; 0014-4835
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/hu-yang/102/