Fig. 5.

Pten mutation did not rescue Shp2 retinal defects. (A) Mutation in the gene encoding Pten, an upstream repressor of AKT signaling, resulted in ectopic AKT activation in the Six3-Cre; Shp2^flox/flox; Pten^flox/flox mutant, but phospho-ERK levels remained suppressed. (B to E) The optic nerve became enlarged in the Six3-Cre; Pten^flox/flox mutant but remained thin in the Six3-Cre; Shp2^flox/flox; Pten^flox/flox mutant. (F to I) At P21, Pten depletion led to thicker inner plexiform layers with displaced nuclei (brackets in panels H and I), but it failed to rescue retinal degeneration in the Six3-Cre; Shp2^flox/flox; Pten^flox/flox mutant. (J to M) Phospho-AKT remained elevated in the Six3-Cre; Shp2^flox/flox; Pten^flox/flox mutant. Bar, 40 μm.