Figure 3. Q344ter rhodopsin is mislocalized and does not support ROS formation when expressed in the absence of endogenous rhodopsin.

Q344ter^rho+/−, Q344^rho−/− mice and their transgene negative littermate were dark-reared and sacrificed at p28–31. Frozen retinal sections immunostained with either the anti-N-terminal R2-12N (A, B, E), or the anti-C-terminal 1D4 (C, D) monoclonal antibodies against rhodopsin. R2-12N immunostaining was restricted to the rod outer segment (ROS) in control rho+/− sections (B), but extended to the rod inner segment (RIS) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) in Q344ter^rho+/− sections (A). 1D4 immunostaining revealed the presence of endogenous rhodopsin in the ONL in Q344ter^rho+/− retinas (C), which was not observed in retinas from negative transgene littermate controls (D). ROS structures were not detected in Q344ter^rho−/− retinal sections when stained with R2-12N (E) or imaged by DIC microscopy (F). Scale bars  = 20 µm.