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Visual projection map specified by topographic expression of transcription factors in the retina

Nature volume 382, pages 632–635 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

TOPOGRAPHICAL maps of neuronal connectivity occur in various brain regions1. In the visual system of birds, retinal ganglion-cell axons from the anterior retina connect to a posterior part of the optic tectum, and posterior retinal axons connect to the anterior part, thereby establishing a point-to-point projection map2,3. The chemoaffinity theory4 predicts that the orderly retinotectal projection is generated by a topographical arrangement of molecules. We report here that we have found several genes topographically expressed along the nasotemporal (anterior–posterior) axis in the embryonic chicken retina. Among these, two transcriptional regulators, belonging to the winged-helix family5 are expressed in a mutually exclusive manner in either the nasal or temporal part of the retina. Misexpression of each factor causes misprojection on the tectum along the rostrocaudal axis, showing that topographical expression of these transcription factors controls formation of the retinotectal map.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Molecular Neurobiology, National Institute for Basic Biology,

    Junichi Yuasa, Shinji Hirano, Masahito Yamagata & Masaharu Noda

  2. Department of Molecular Biomechanics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Myodaiji-cho, Okaxaki, 444, Japan

    Junichi Yuasa, Shinji Hirano, Masahito Yamagata & Masaharu Noda

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  1. Junichi Yuasa
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  2. Shinji Hirano
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  4. Masaharu Noda
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Yuasa, J., Hirano, S., Yamagata, M. et al. Visual projection map specified by topographic expression of transcription factors in the retina. Nature 382, 632–635 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/382632a0

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