Compartmentalization and polarized protein trafficking are essential for many cellular functions. The photoreceptor outer segment (OS) is a sensory compartment specialized for phototransduction, and it shares many features with primary cilia. As expected, mutations disrupting protein trafficking to cilia often disrupt protein trafficking to the OS and cause photoreceptor degeneration. Bardet-Bi...

Purpose. To analyze microstructural changes in the external limiting membrane (ELM) and photoreceptor layer before and after early and late conventional laser treatment in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) in 12 months follow-up study. Methods. A retrospective observational study included Group A: 19 patients (19 eyes) with symptomatic acute CSC and Group B: 16 patients (16 eyes) with symp...

To characterize the transfer of graded potentials and the properties of the associated noise in the photoreceptor-interneuron synapse of the blowfly (Calliphora vicina) compound eye, we recorded voltage responses of photoreceptors (R1-6) and large monopolar cells (LMC) evoked by: (a) steps of light presented in the dark; (b) contrast steps; and (c) pseudorandomly modulated contrast stimuli at b...

Zebrafish are capable of robust and spontaneous regeneration of injured retina. Constant intense light exposure to adult albino zebrafish specifically causes apoptosis of rod and cone photoreceptor cells and is an excellent model to study the molecular mechanisms underlying photoreceptor regeneration. However, this paradigm has only been applied to lesion zebrafish of the nonpigmented albino ge...

Prolonged or high-intensity exposure to visible light leads to photoreceptor cell death. In this study, we demonstrate a novel pathway of light-induced photoreceptor apoptosis involving the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75 (p75NTR). Retinal degeneration upregulated both p75NTR and the high-affinity neurotrophin receptor TrkC in different parts of Müller glial cells. Exogenous neurotrophin...

Terminal saccharide sequences in rat photoreceptor cell surface glycoconjugates were characterized. Lectin cytochemistry and electron microscopy were used for preembedding cytochemical localization of surface carbohydrates. Neuraminidase digestion was employed for the exposure of penultimate saccharides in sialoglycoconjugates. Isolated rat retinas were incubated with ferritin-labeled wheat ger...

The photoreceptor ribbon synapse is a highly specialized glutamatergic synapse designed for the continuous flow of synaptic vesicles to the neurotransmitter release site. The molecular mechanisms underlying ribbon synapse formation are poorly understood. We have investigated the role of the presynaptic cytomatrix protein Bassoon, a major component of the photoreceptor ribbon, in a mouse retina ...

Terminal saccharide sequences in rat photoreceptor cell surface glycoconjugates were characterized. Lectin cytochemistry and electron microscopy were used for preembedding cytochemical localization of surface carbohydrates. Neuraminidase digestion was employed for the exposure of penultimate saccharides in sialoglyconjugates. Isolated rat retinas were incubated with ferritin-labeled wheat germ ...

Photoreceptor cell death is the ultimate cause of vision loss in various retinal disorders, including retinal detachment (RD). Photoreceptor cell death has been thought to occur mainly through apoptosis, which is the most characterized form of programmed cell death. The caspase family of cysteine proteases plays a central role for inducing apoptosis, and in experimental models of RD, dying phot...

Photoreceptor degeneration is the most critical cause of visual impairment in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In neovascular form of AMD, severe photoreceptor loss develops with subretinal hemorrhage due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV), growth of abnormal blood vessels from choroidal circulation. However, the detailed mechanisms of this process remain elusive. Here we demonstrate ...