PENSIERI , Pasquale

Although the role of Otx2 transcription factor in retinal development is well understood, its function in the adult retina remains unclear. Otx2 expression is maintained in Retinal Pigmented Epithelium (RPE), photoreceptors (PRs) and bipolar cells throughout life. Previous works from our lab showed that Otx2 ablation in the adult retina leads...

In the mature mouse retina, Otx2 is expressed in both retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor (PR) cells, and Otx2 knockout (KO) in the RPE alone results in PR degeneration. To study the cell-autonomous function of OTX2 in PRs, we performed PR-specific Otx2 KO (cKO) in adults. As expected, the protein disappears completely from PR...