Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Huffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Cell Rep. 2021 Feb 2;34(5):108698. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108698.
Cone photoreceptors detect light and are responsible for color vision. These cells display a distinct polarized morphology where nuclei are precisely aligned in the apical retina. However, little is known about the mechanisms involved in cone nuclear positioning or the impact of this organization on retina function. We show that the serine/threonine kinase LKB1 and one of its substrates, AMPK, regulate cone nuclear positioning. In the absence of either molecule, cone nuclei are misplaced along the axon, resulting in altered nuclear lamination. LKB1 is required specifically in cones to mediate this process, and disruptions in nuclear alignment result in reduced cone function. Together, these results identify molecular determinants of cone nuclear position and indicate that cone nuclear position alignment enables proper visual function.
视锥细胞可探测光线，负责色觉。这些细胞呈独特的极化形态，细胞核在顶部视网膜中精确排列。然而，目前对于视锥细胞核定位的机制或这种组织结构对视功能的影响知之甚少。我们发现丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶 LKB1 和其底物 AMPK 调节视锥细胞核定位。在这两种分子缺失的情况下，视锥细胞核沿轴突错位，导致核层改变。LKB1 特异性地在视锥细胞中发挥作用，介导这一过程，而核排列紊乱会导致视锥细胞功能降低。这些结果共同确定了视锥细胞核位置的分子决定因素，并表明视锥细胞核位置的对准能够实现正常的视觉功能。
