Research

Evolutionarily conserved mechanisms for eye development in frog and mouse

The mission of the Viczian lab is to find the underlying cause of blinding disease in infants. 

Eye formation arises from a set of cells (pictured here in blue) in frog and mice that can be traced during development. A central question in developmental biology is, ‘What genes are required for neural tissue formation?’ The Viczian lab is interested in studying the delicate, neural tissue in the eye – the retina. Our group uses both frog (Xenopus laevis) and mouse (Mus musculus) to answer this question. By studying these different animals, we hope to uncover evolutionarily conserved, fundamental mechanisms that drive retinal formation in all organisms, including humans. Frog/mouse drawing by A. Zuber.

Blindness in infants may be due to genetic mutations in proteins called transcription factors. Transcription factors are proteins that regulate the expression of many genes at once. The transcription factors that we study regulate eye-specific genes that form genetic networks – that is, they regulate the expression of each other. We are currently studying the role of one of these (Tbx3 and how it drives formation of retinal tissue in mouse. We have found that Tbx3 controls retinal and vascular cell formation. Among others, w are currently interested in answering questions 1-3. Illustration created with BioRender.com

Retinal blood vessels supply the retina on both sides of this delicate tissue. During development, as neural retinal cells differentiate, they require more oxygen and nutrients and produce proteins that signal to the vasculature to grow into the retina. These signals are currently poorly understood. Are there genetic networks or signaling pathways specific to retinal vascular cells? The Viczian lab is currently interested in understanding the link between neurons and retinal vasculature, as they are disrupted in many blinding diseases, including Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).