Effect of the absence of heat shock protein 70.1 (hsp70.1) on retinal photoreceptors in normal and rd mice.
- Author:
Young Suk YU
1
;
Jun Ho HEO
;
Sang Won HWANG
;
Jeong Hun KIM
;
Jeong Sun SEO
;
Sang In KHWARG
;
Hum CHUNG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords: apoptosis; heat shock protein; knockout mice; photoreceptor cell
- MeSH: Animal; Electroretinography; Fundus Oculi; Heat-Shock Proteins 70/*deficiency/genetics; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout/genetics; Photoreceptors, Vertebrate/*metabolism; Protozoan Proteins/genetics; Reference Values; Retinal Degeneration/metabolism/*pathology/*physiopathology
- From:Korean Journal of Ophthalmology 2001;15(2):67-73
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: The purposes of this study are to elucidate the retinal changes of heat shock protein 70.1 (hsp70.1) knockout mice and to compare them between in normal and in retinal degeneration (rd) mice. Eyes of hsp70.1 wild type (+/+) and knockout (-/-) mice in the C57BL/6 or FVB genetic backgrounds respectively, which were reared in the normal environment, were examined by fundus photography, electroretinography, light microscopy, terminal dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) stain, and immunohistochemistry. In C57BL/6 mice, fundus photography showed no changes between hsp70.1+/+ and -/- mice at 1 and 6 months of age. Electroretinographic examination showed a tendency of decreased amplitude of a- and b-wave with aging in both genotype, but there were not different statistically. The ratios of the thickness of inner nuclear and outer nuclear layer to the retinal thickness were respectively decreased with aging in both genotype, but there were not different statstically. TUNEL assay showed a few positively labeled cells in the ganglion cell, inner nuclear and outer nuclear layers and the immunohistochemistry showed no immunopositivity of hsp70 in the inner segments of photoreceptor cell layer in both genotype. In rd mice, fundus photography showed a narrowing of the retinal vessels at the age of 4 weeks, however, there were no differences of retinal changes including pigment epithelial layer in both genotype. Electroretinographic examination at the postnatal 2, 3 and 4 weeks showed no differences between them. Loss of photoreceptor cell and outer nuclear layers showed no differences in both genotype. In conclusion, there were no differences of the retinal changes at least under the normal environmental condition in hsp70.1+/+ and -/- mice. These results show that hsp70.1-/- mice can be used to study the role of hsp70.1 to the external stress to the retina.
