@article{67431523f521409297c9c5e52bc7151e,
title = "βA3/A1-crystallin in astroglial cells regulates retinal vascular remodeling during development",
abstract = "Vascular remodeling is a complex process critical to development of the mature vascular system. Astrocytes are known to be indispensable for initial formation of the retinal vasculature; our studies with the Nuc1 rat provide novel evidence that these cells are also essential in the retinal vascular remodeling process. Nuc1 is a spontaneous mutation in the Sprague-Dawley rat originally characterized by nuclear cataracts in the heterozygote and microphthalmia in the homozygote. We report here that the Nuc1 allele results from mutation of the βA3/A1-crystallin gene, which in the neural retina is expressed only in astrocytes. We demonstrate striking structural abnormalities in Nuc1 astrocytes with profound effects on the organization of intermediate filaments. While vessels form in the Nuc1 retina, the subsequent remodeling process required to provide a mature vascular network is deficient. Our data implicate βA3/A1-crystallin as an important regulatory factor mediating vascular patterning and remodeling in the retina.",
keywords = "Astrocytes, Intermediate filaments, Rat spontaneous mutation, Remodeling, Retinal vasculature, βA3/A1-crystallin",
author = "Debasish Sinha and Andrew Klise and Yuri Sergeev and Stacey Hose and Bhutto, {Imran A.} and Laszlo Hackler and Tanya Malpic-llanos and Sonia Samtani and Rhonda Grebe and Goldberg, {Morton F.} and Hejtmancik, {J. Fielding} and Avindra Nath and Zack, {Donald J.} and Fariss, {Robert N.} and McLeod, {D. Scott} and Olof Sundin and Broman, {Karl W.} and Lutty, {Gerard A.} and Zigler, {J. Samuel}",
note = "Funding Information: The assistance of Dr. Bhaja K Padhi (Health Canada, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa) for genetic consultation is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Drs. Eric Wawrousek (National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland), Nader Sheibani (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin), and James Handa (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland) for critically reading the manuscript. The help of Dr. Xiaodong Jiao with genotyping and Ms. Mary Alice Crawford and Dr. Chi-Chao Chan with electron microscopy is gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported in part by Research to Prevent Blindness (an unrestricted grant to Wilmer Eye Institute) and grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) EY009769 (to DZ), EY009357 (to GAL), GM074244 (to KWB), P01MH070306, and P01MH70056 (to AN) and by the Intramural Research Program of the National Eye Institute, NIH (to JFH, RF, and SZ).",
year = "2008",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1016/j.mcn.2007.08.016",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "37",
pages = "85--95",
journal = "Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience",
issn = "1044-7431",
publisher = "Academic Press Inc.",
number = "1",
}