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Opposite Roles of MerTK Ligands Gas6 and Protein S During Retinal Phagocytosis

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Retinal Degenerative Diseases

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1074))

Abstract

MerTK is required for photoreceptor outer segment (POS) phagocytosis by retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, a diurnal function essential for vision maintenance. In vivo, MerTK is stimulated at the time of the phagocytic peak through an intracellular signaling pathway. However, MerTK ligands Gas6 and Protein S are expressed in both RPE cells and photoreceptors, and at least one of them required for phagocytosis to occur. Still, their exact role in the retina was not clear until recently. This review combines results from different studies to shed the light on a tissue-specific regulation of MerTK function by its ligands. Indeed, with opposite effects on RPE phagocytosis and changes in their expression levels around the time of POS uptake, Gas6 and Protein S may contribute to the tight control of the acute phagocytic peak in the retina.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, Paris, F-75012, France

    Emeline F. Nandrot

Authors
  1. Emeline F. Nandrot
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Correspondence to Emeline F. Nandrot .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    John D. Ash

  2. Ophthalmology and Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

    Robert E. Anderson

  3. School of Medicine Beckman Vision Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Matthew M. LaVail

  4. Departments of Ophthalmology and Cell Biology, Duke Eye Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Catherine Bowes Rickman

  5. Division of Ophthalmology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Joe G. Hollyfield

  6. Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Christian Grimm

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Nandrot, E.F. (2018). Opposite Roles of MerTK Ligands Gas6 and Protein S During Retinal Phagocytosis. In: Ash, J., Anderson, R., LaVail, M., Bowes Rickman, C., Hollyfield, J., Grimm, C. (eds) Retinal Degenerative Diseases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1074. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75402-4_70

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