A QTL on distal chromosome 3 that influences the severity of light-induced damage to mouse photoreceptors.

C57BL/6J-c(2J) (c2J) albino mice showed much less damage to their photoreceptors after exposure to prolonged light than BALB/c mice and seven other albino strains tested. There were no gender differences, and preliminary studies suggested that the c2J relative protective effect was a complex trait. A genome-wide scan using dinucleotide repeat markers was carried out for the analysis of 194 progeny of the backcross (c2J x BALB/c)F(1) x c2J and the thickness of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) of the retina was the quantitative trait reflecting retinal damage.

Genesis of the retinal pigment epithelium in the macaque monkey.

The development of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) was studied in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) fetuses, neonates, and juveniles exposed to a pulse of 3H-thymidine (3H-TdR) between embryonic day (E) 25 and postnatal day (P) 204 and examined at short and long intervals after the injection of the isotope. The RPE develops from the outer layer of the optic cup which by E45 consists of a multistratified epithelium. The outer layer appears immature near the retina's edge and gradually becomes monostratified and more mature centrally.