Spatio-temporal Features of Neurogenesis in the Retina of Medaka, Oryzias latipes

• Published in: Developmental dynamics 2008-12, Vol.237 (12), p.3870-3881
• Main Authors: Kitambi, Satish S., Malicki, Jarema J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1058-8388; 1097-0177
• DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.21797

The vertebrate retina is very well conserved in evolution. Its structure and functional features are very similar in phyla as different as primates and teleost fish. Here we describe the spatio-temporal characteristics of neurogenesis in the retina of a teleost, medaka, and compare them to other species, primarily the zebrafish. Several intriguing differences are observed between medaka and zebrafish. For example, photoreceptor differentiation in the medaka retina starts independently in two different areas, and at more advanced stages of differentiation, medaka and zebrafish retinae display obviously different patterns of the photoreceptor cell mosaic. Medaka and zebrafish evolutionary lineages are thought to have separated from each other 110 million years ago, and so the differences between these species are not unexpected, and may be exploited to gain insight into the architecture of developmental pathways. Importantly, this work highlights the benefits of using multiple teleost models in parallel to understand a developmental process.