Identification of Degeneration-Specific Genes in the Rcs Rat Retina By Subtractive Hybridization Techniques

Abstract

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is one of the most frequent hereditary dystrophies. Multiple genetic defects have been found to be expressed in the photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells of RP patients. The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat is the animal model most commonly used to study RP. In the RCS rat, the photoreceptors begin to degenerate during the third postnatal week, and retinal degeneration continues toward the inner retina after their loss. We used a subtractive hybridization technique to identify differentially expressed genes that might be responsible for the induction of degenerative processes in the RCS retina. Until now, we have isolated about 30 clones with putative differentially expressed sequences. To date, two of these sequences were confirmed to be differentially expressed in the RCS rat but not in control rats. The method described here is therefore suitable for identifying differentially regulated genes, not only in RP retinas, but also in other retinal dystrophies and may help to further elucidate the pathophysiology of retinal diseases.