Photoreceptor ribbon synapses release glutamate in response to graded changes in membrane potential evoked by vast, logarithmically scalable light intensities. Neurotransmitter release is modulated… (More)
A genetic contribution to the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is well established. Several genome-wide linkage studies have identified a number of putative susceptibility loci… (More)
The mammalian retina is a valuable model system to study neuronal biology in health and disease. To obtain insight into intrinsic processes of the retina, great efforts are directed towards the… (More)
The G protein-coupled metabotropic glutamate receptors (GRMs) consist of a family of eight members. Structural and functional diversity of this receptor family is achieved by the existence of… (More)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multifactorial disorder affecting the visual system with a high prevalence among the elderly population but with no effective therapy available at present.… (More)
Purpose
Stargardt disease (STGD1) is an autosomal recessive retinopathy, caused by mutations in the retina-specific ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA4) gene. To establish the mutational spectrum… (More)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among white caucasians over the age of 50 years with a prevalence rate expected to increase markedly with an anticipated… (More)
The human retina is comprised of a large number of cell types with highly specialized functions that depend on the action of countless genes, many of which are exclusively expressed in the retina. We… (More)
Retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells are of neuroectodermal origin with highly specialized functions in light perception. Identification and characterization of genes differentially… (More)
PURPOSE
Computer-assisted sampling of EST data contained within the UniGene human sequences collection is being used to establish a catalog of novel genes that are expressed exclusively or… (More)