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Diurnal rodents as animal models of human central vision: characterisation of the retina of the sand rat Psammomys obsesus

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Abstract

Background

Cone photoreceptor-based central vision is of paramount importance in human eyesight, and the increasing numbers of persons affected by macular degeneration emphasizes the need for relevant and amenable animal models. Although laboratory mice and rats have provided valuable information on retinal diseases, they have inherent limitations for studies on macular pathology. In the present study, we extend our recent analyses of diurnal murid rodents to demonstrate that the sand rat Psammomys obesus has a remarkably cone-rich retina, and represents a useful adjunct to available animal models of central vision.

Methods

Adult P. obesus were captured and transferred to animal facilities where they were maintained under standard light/dark cycles. Animals were euthanised and their eyes enucleated. Tissue was either fixed in paraformaldehyde and prepared for immunohistochemistry, or solubilized in lysis buffer and separated by SDS-PAGE and subjected to western blot analysis. Samples were labelled with a battery of antibodies against rod and cone photoreceptors, inner retinal neurones, and glia.

Results

P. obesus showed a high percentage of cones, 41% of total photoreceptor numbers in both central and peripheral retina. They expressed multiple cone-specific proteins, including short and medium-wavelength opsin and cone transducin. A second remarkable feature of the retina concerned the horizontal cells, which expressed high levels of glial fibrillar acidic protein and occludin, two proteins which are not seen in other species.

Conclusion

The retina of P. obesus displays high numbers of morphologically and immunologically identifiable cones which will facilitate analysis of cone pathophysiology in this species. The unusual horizontal cell phenotype may be related to the cone distribution or to an alternative facet of the animals lifestyle.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to grant support from the Fritz Tobler Foundation, Switzerland. We wish to thank Drs. F. Béhar-Cohen and S. Omri for helpful discussions.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no financial relationships of any kind connected with the data presented in this study. The authors have full control of all primary data, and they agree to allow Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology to review their data upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Neurobiologie des Rythmes, CNRS UPR 3212 Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, 5 rue Blaise Pascal, 67084, Strasbourg Cedex, France

    Tounès Saïdi & David Hicks

  2. Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie Sidi Thabet, 2020, Ariana, Tunisie

    Tounès Saïdi, Sihem Mbarek & Rafika Ben Chaouacha-Chekir

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  1. Tounès Saïdi
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  2. Sihem Mbarek
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  4. David Hicks
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Correspondence to David Hicks.

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Saïdi, T., Mbarek, S., Chaouacha-Chekir, R.B. et al. Diurnal rodents as animal models of human central vision: characterisation of the retina of the sand rat Psammomys obsesus . Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 249, 1029–1037 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-011-1641-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-011-1641-9

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