Forrest Douglas, Swaroop Anand
Laboratory of Endocrinology and Receptor Biology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Mol Endocrinol. 2012 Jun;26(6):905-15. doi: 10.1210/me.2012-1010. Epub 2012 May 3.
Rod and cone photoreceptors are specialized sensory cells that mediate vision. Transcriptional controls are critical for the development and long-term survival of photoreceptors; when these controls become ineffective, retinal dysfunction or degenerative disease may result. This review discusses the role of nuclear receptors, a class of ligand-regulated transcription factors, at key stages of photoreceptor life in the mammalian retina. Nuclear receptors with known ligands, such as retinoids or thyroid hormone, together with several orphan receptors without identified physiological ligands, complement other classes of transcription factors in directing the differentiation and functional maintenance of photoreceptors. The potential of nuclear receptors to respond to ligands introduces versatility into the control of photoreceptor development and function and may suggest new opportunities for treatments of photoreceptor disease.
视杆和视锥光感受器是介导视觉的特殊感觉细胞。转录调控对于光感受器的发育和长期存活至关重要;当这些调控失效时,可能会导致视网膜功能障碍或退行性疾病。本综述讨论了核受体(一类配体调节的转录因子)在哺乳动物视网膜光感受器生命关键阶段的作用。具有已知配体(如类视黄醇或甲状腺激素)的核受体,以及几种尚未确定生理配体的孤儿受体,在指导光感受器的分化和功能维持方面补充了其他类别的转录因子。核受体对配体作出反应的潜力为光感受器发育和功能的控制引入了多样性,并可能为光感受器疾病的治疗提供新的机会。