... specification in progenitors that exit the stem cell niche in the ciliary marginal zone (CMZ). The proper cell-type composition arising from those progenitors is a prerequisite for retinal function. Our findings in the teleost medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) uncover that the Notch-Atoh7 axis continuously patterns...

... necessary and sufficient for Brn3b expression in vivo . We suggest that ATOH7 specifies RGC-committed progenitors and that Dlx1 and Dlx2 function both downstream of ATOH7 and in parallel, but cooperative, pathways that involve regulation of Brn3b expression to determine RGC fate. Primary cultures...

... and the differentiation into neurons are events of opposite nature, and therefore efforts to force quiescent radial glia into neurons require different factors. Here, we use fish to show that a single neurogenic factor, Atoh7, directs retinal radial glia (Müller glia, MG) into proliferation. The resulting neurogenic...

...Kate A. Maurer; Amy N. Riesenberg; Nadean L. Brown Notch signaling regulates basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) factors as an evolutionarily conserved module, but the tissue-specific mechanisms are incompletely elucidated. In the mouse retina, bHLH genes Atoh7 and Neurog2 have distinct functions...

.... † Author for correspondence (e-mail: chi-bin.chien@neuro.utah.edu ) * These authors contributed equally to this work 25 6 2008 © 2008. 2008 Robo2 astray ath5 atoh7 Morpholino Fasciculation Transplant Cell-autonomy Zebrafish To generate a functional nervous...

... POU domain MATH5 ATOH7 POU4F2 RGC Retinal development Transcription factor Owing to its easy accessibility and well-organized laminar structure, the retina has long served as an ideal experimental model for studying the central nervous system (CNS). Retinogenesis in vertebrates...

... to require both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, yet few intrinsic gene products have been identified that direct this process. Math5 ( Atoh7 ) encodes a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor that is specifically expressed by mouse retinal progenitors. Math5 is highly homologous to atonal, which...