Summary
Published in Developmental Biology (2019), this peer-reviewed study used 3D Petri Dish® micro-molds to form scaffold-free 3D microtissues. Full citation: Kaufman, Michael L., et al. Transcriptional profiling of murine retinas undergoing semi-synchronous cone photoreceptor differentiation
Transcriptional profiling of murine retinas undergoing semi-synchronous cone photoreceptor differentiation
Research Overview
Mapping the gene regulatory networks controlling cone photoreceptor formation has been difficult because cones are only a few percent of the retina and form asynchronously during development.
To overcome both limitations, this study used the γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT to disrupt Notch signaling and force proliferating retinal progenitors to rapidly adopt neuronal identity. Mouse retinal explants treated at the peak of cone genesis were examined by histology and bulk RNA sequencing across several time points, producing supernumerary cones in an overwhelmingly synchronized fashion and revealing the transcriptional program behind cone formation.
Key Discoveries
- Notch disruption with DAPT produced supernumerary cones in a synchronized wave
- Overcomes the rarity and asynchrony that obscure cone development
- Time-course histology plus bulk RNA-seq revealed the cone-formation transcriptional program
