Investigations into the roles of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in retinal development and degeneration

Project Aim

The aim of this project was to develop techniques that would allow for the investigation of the role of the Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway in the developing and adult retina. The Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway is a system that helps cells communicate to control growth, development, and tissue repair, playing a key role in processes like organ formation and tissue regeneration. It is known to change during retinal diseases, and the goal was to understand its role in retinal development and how these changes might impact degeneration.

Project Summary and Impact

The Wnt/beta-catenin signalling pathway is important for maintaining stem cells, especially during development. While changes in this pathway occur in retinal diseases, it’s unclear if these changes cause the disease or are a response to it. To study this, genetically modified mice were examined using a technique called Cre-LoxP to delete specific genes in the retina.
Two lines of genetically altered mice (MLR34 and MLR37) were tested to see if they could be used to delete genes in the retina. This was confirmed by showing where the gene-editing process was active using a special staining technique. Next, the gene for beta-catenin (a key part of the Wnt pathway) was checked to see if it could be deleted in the retina. While beta-catenin was deleted in some cells, not all target cells were affected, allowing the study of the difference between affected and unaffected cells in the same retina.
Future work will focus on improving the efficiency of gene deletion in the retina to better understand how the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway influences retinal development and its role in retinal degeneration.

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Chief investigator:
Dr Robb de Iongh
University of Melbourne

Co-investigator/s:

Dr Helen E Abud, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

Grant awarded:
$35,000 (2005)