Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1996 Jan 23;93(2):596–601. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.2.596

Molecular biology of retinal ganglion cells.

M Xiang 1, H Zhou 1, J Nathans 1
PMCID: PMC40097  PMID: 8570601

Abstract

Retinal ganglion cells are the output neurons that encode and transmit information from the eye to the brain. Their diverse physiologic and anatomic properties have been intensively studied and appear to account well for a number of psychophysical phenomena such as lateral inhibition and chromatic opponency. In this paper, we summarize our current view of retinal ganglion cell properties and pose a number of questions regarding underlying molecular mechanisms. As an example of one approach to understanding molecular mechanisms, we describe recent work on several POU domain transcription factors that are expressed in subsets of retinal ganglion cells and that appear to be involved in ganglion cell development.

Full text

PDF
596

Images in this article

597Fig. 1
on p.597
598Fig. 2
on p.598
599Fig. 4
on p.599
600Fig. 5
on p.600
600Fig. 6
on p.600

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BARLOW H. B. Increment thresholds at low intensities considered as signal/noise discriminations. J Physiol. 1957 May 23;136(3):469–488. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1957.sp005774. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chalfie M., Horvitz H. R., Sulston J. E. Mutations that lead to reiterations in the cell lineages of C. elegans. Cell. 1981 Apr;24(1):59–69. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90501-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dacey D. M., Lee B. B. The 'blue-on' opponent pathway in primate retina originates from a distinct bistratified ganglion cell type. Nature. 1994 Feb 24;367(6465):731–735. doi: 10.1038/367731a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. De Monasterio F. M., Gouras P. Functional properties of ganglion cells of the rhesus monkey retina. J Physiol. 1975 Sep;251(1):167–195. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1975.sp011086. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Deitcher D. L., Fekete D. M., Cepko C. L. Asymmetric expression of a novel homeobox gene in vertebrate sensory organs. J Neurosci. 1994 Feb;14(2):486–498. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.14-02-00486.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Derrington A. M., Lennie P. Spatial and temporal contrast sensitivities of neurones in lateral geniculate nucleus of macaque. J Physiol. 1984 Dec;357:219–240. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015498. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dollé P., Price M., Duboule D. Expression of the murine Dlx-1 homeobox gene during facial, ocular and limb development. Differentiation. 1992 Mar;49(2):93–99. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-0436.1992.tb00773.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Enroth-Cugell C., Robson J. G. The contrast sensitivity of retinal ganglion cells of the cat. J Physiol. 1966 Dec;187(3):517–552. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1966.sp008107. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Finney M., Ruvkun G., Horvitz H. R. The C. elegans cell lineage and differentiation gene unc-86 encodes a protein with a homeodomain and extended similarity to transcription factors. Cell. 1988 Dec 2;55(5):757–769. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90132-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fry K. R., Tavella D., Su Y. Y., Peng Y. W., Watt C. B., Lam D. M. A monoclonal antibody specific for retinal ganglion cells of mammals. Brain Res. 1985 Jul 15;338(2):360–365. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(85)90169-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gerrero M. R., McEvilly R. J., Turner E., Lin C. R., O'Connell S., Jenne K. J., Hobbs M. V., Rosenfeld M. G. Brn-3.0: a POU-domain protein expressed in the sensory, immune, and endocrine systems that functions on elements distinct from known octamer motifs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Nov 15;90(22):10841–10845. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.22.10841. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Glaser T., Walton D. S., Maas R. L. Genomic structure, evolutionary conservation and aniridia mutations in the human PAX6 gene. Nat Genet. 1992 Nov;2(3):232–239. doi: 10.1038/ng1192-232. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gouras P. Identification of cone mechanisms in monkey ganglion cells. J Physiol. 1968 Dec;199(3):533–547. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1968.sp008667. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Guillemot F., Joyner A. L. Dynamic expression of the murine Achaete-Scute homologue Mash-1 in the developing nervous system. Mech Dev. 1993 Aug;42(3):171–185. doi: 10.1016/0925-4773(93)90006-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. He X., Treacy M. N., Simmons D. M., Ingraham H. A., Swanson L. W., Rosenfeld M. G. Expression of a large family of POU-domain regulatory genes in mammalian brain development. Nature. 1989 Jul 6;340(6228):35–41. doi: 10.1038/340035a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Hill R. E., Favor J., Hogan B. L., Ton C. C., Saunders G. F., Hanson I. M., Prosser J., Jordan T., Hastie N. D., van Heyningen V. Mouse small eye results from mutations in a paired-like homeobox-containing gene. Nature. 1991 Dec 19;354(6354):522–525. doi: 10.1038/354522a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Jordan T., Hanson I., Zaletayev D., Hodgson S., Prosser J., Seawright A., Hastie N., van Heyningen V. The human PAX6 gene is mutated in two patients with aniridia. Nat Genet. 1992 Aug;1(5):328–332. doi: 10.1038/ng0892-328. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. KUFFLER S. W. Discharge patterns and functional organization of mammalian retina. J Neurophysiol. 1953 Jan;16(1):37–68. doi: 10.1152/jn.1953.16.1.37. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kolb H. The architecture of functional neural circuits in the vertebrate retina. The Proctor Lecture. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1994 Apr;35(5):2385–2404. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Lassar A., Münsterberg A. Wiring diagrams: regulatory circuits and the control of skeletal myogenesis. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1994 Jun;6(3):432–442. doi: 10.1016/0955-0674(94)90037-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Liu I. S., Chen J. D., Ploder L., Vidgen D., van der Kooy D., Kalnins V. I., McInnes R. R. Developmental expression of a novel murine homeobox gene (Chx10): evidence for roles in determination of the neuroretina and inner nuclear layer. Neuron. 1994 Aug;13(2):377–393. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(94)90354-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Perry V. H., Oehler R., Cowey A. Retinal ganglion cells that project to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus in the macaque monkey. Neuroscience. 1984 Aug;12(4):1101–1123. doi: 10.1016/0306-4522(84)90006-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Price M., Lazzaro D., Pohl T., Mattei M. G., Rüther U., Olivo J. C., Duboule D., Di Lauro R. Regional expression of the homeobox gene Nkx-2.2 in the developing mammalian forebrain. Neuron. 1992 Feb;8(2):241–255. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(92)90291-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Rodieck R. W., Brening R. K. Retinal ganglion cells: properties, types, genera, pathways and trans-species comparisons. Brain Behav Evol. 1983;23(3-4):121–164. doi: 10.1159/000121492. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Rosenfeld M. G. POU-domain transcription factors: pou-er-ful developmental regulators. Genes Dev. 1991 Jun;5(6):897–907. doi: 10.1101/gad.5.6.897. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. St Johnston D., Nüsslein-Volhard C. The origin of pattern and polarity in the Drosophila embryo. Cell. 1992 Jan 24;68(2):201–219. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90466-p. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Swaroop A., Xu J. Z., Pawar H., Jackson A., Skolnick C., Agarwal N. A conserved retina-specific gene encodes a basic motif/leucine zipper domain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Jan 1;89(1):266–270. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.1.266. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Theil T., Zechner U., Klett C., Adolph S., Möröy T. Chromosomal localization and sequences of the murine Brn-3 family of developmental control genes. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1994;66(4):267–271. doi: 10.1159/000133709. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Thor S., Ericson J., Brännström T., Edlund T. The homeodomain LIM protein Isl-1 is expressed in subsets of neurons and endocrine cells in the adult rat. Neuron. 1991 Dec;7(6):881–889. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(91)90334-v. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Turner E. E., Jenne K. J., Rosenfeld M. G. Brn-3.2: a Brn-3-related transcription factor with distinctive central nervous system expression and regulation by retinoic acid. Neuron. 1994 Jan;12(1):205–218. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(94)90164-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Walther C., Gruss P. Pax-6, a murine paired box gene, is expressed in the developing CNS. Development. 1991 Dec;113(4):1435–1449. doi: 10.1242/dev.113.4.1435. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Westheimer G. Spatial interaction in human cone vision. J Physiol. 1967 May;190(1):139–154. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1967.sp008198. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Xiang M., Zhou L., Macke J. P., Yoshioka T., Hendry S. H., Eddy R. L., Shows T. B., Nathans J. The Brn-3 family of POU-domain factors: primary structure, binding specificity, and expression in subsets of retinal ganglion cells and somatosensory neurons. J Neurosci. 1995 Jul;15(7 Pt 1):4762–4785. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.15-07-04762.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Xiang M., Zhou L., Peng Y. W., Eddy R. L., Shows T. B., Nathans J. Brn-3b: a POU domain gene expressed in a subset of retinal ganglion cells. Neuron. 1993 Oct;11(4):689–701. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(93)90079-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES