Impaired vision in chickens associated with retinal defects

Curtis, PE; Baker, JR; Curtis, R.; Johnston, Alan

doi:10.1136/vr.120.5.113

Cited by 14 publications

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“…Recently a form of retinal degeneration causing impaired vision was reported in up to 0.2% of individuals in several commercial flocks of breeding chickens (Curtis et al, 1987). The present paper describes the clinical, electroretinographic and histological features of this condition, which is distinct from other inherited retinopathies described in this species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

An inherited retinopathy in commercial breeding chickens

et al. 1988

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SUMMARYImpaired vision was observed in individual birds from several related flocks of layer breeding chickens. The condition was usually apparent by eight weeks of age. Affected birds were unable to perceive food particles on a flat surface or to negotiate a 50 mm bridge, although apparently able to discern large objects and to respond to bright light. On ophthalmoscopic examination of the fundus the choroidal vasculature was usually more readily visualised than in normal chickens and in addition discrete white streaks were often seen to extend peripherally from the base of the pecten. Cataract formation was frequently present by several months of age. The electroretinograms of two affected birds were of abnormally low amplitude. Light microscopy of the retinas of most birds exhibiting blindness showed a generalised reduction in the number of photoreceptors and in the thickness of the outer nuclear layer, although in others there were no obvious abnormalities. The linear fundus lesions represented abrupt thinnings of the retina in which, to a varying degree, the retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptor inner and outer segment, outer nuclear and outer plexiform layers were disorganised or absent. A mating of affected individuals produced progeny of which 13/14 were obviously ' blind, indicating an hereditary basis for the condition.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

An inherited retinopathy in commercial breeding chickens

et al. 1988

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“…Rge is an autosomal recessive disease of chickens characterized by progressive retinal dysfunction and blindness by $30 days post-hatch (Curtis et al, 1987(Curtis et al, , 1988Inglehearn et al, 2003;Montiani-Ferreira et al, 2003. The rge phenotype has been shown to result from an inframe 3 bp deletion in the cone beta-transducin gene GNB3, leading to a D153del mutation which destabilizes the protein (Tummala et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Collagen organization in the chicken cornea and structural alterations in the retinopathy, globe enlarged (rge) phenotype—An X-ray diffraction study

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Hayes

Jones

et al. 2008

Journal of Structural Biology

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“…In the retina, a mutation in the GNB3 gene has been shown to impact vision. This was first observed in commercial chicken breeding stocks in the United Kingdom in the 1980’s with the discovery of the retinopathy, globe enlarged (RGE) chicken (Curtis et al, 1987). The RGE phenotype is known to result from a single codon deletion leading to the loss of a single aspartic acid residue (Tummala et al, 2006).…”

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The pattern of expression of guanine nucleotide-binding protein β3 in the retina is conserved across vertebrate species

et al. 2010

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Guanine nucleotide-binding protein β3 (GNB3) is an isoform of the β subunit of the heterotrimeric G protein second messenger complex that is commonly associated with transmembrane receptors. The presence of GNB3 in photoreceptors, and possibly bipolar cells, has been confirmed in murine, bovine and primate retinas (Lee et al., 1992, Peng et al., 1992, Huang et al., 2003). Studies have indicated that a mutation in the GNB3 gene causes progressive retinopathy and globe enlargement (RGE) in chickens. The goals of this study were to 1) examine the expression pattern of GNB3 in wild-type and RGE mutant chickens, 2) characterize the types of bipolar cells that express GNB3 and 3) examine whether the expression of GNB3 in the retina is conserved across vertebrate species. We find that chickens homozygous for the RGE allele completely lack GNB3 protein. We find that the pattern of expression of GNB3 in the retina is highly conserved across vertebrate species, including teleost fish (Carassius auratus), frogs (Xenopus laevis), chickens (Gallus domesticus), mice (Mus musculata), guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), dogs (Canis familiaris) and non-human primates (Macaca fasicularis). Regardless of the species, we find that GNB3 is expressed by Islet1-positive cone ON-bipolar cells and by cone photoreceptors. In some vertebrates, GNB3-immunoreactivity was observed in both rod and cone photoreceptors. A protein-protein alignment of GNB3 across different vertebrates, from fish to humans, indicates a high degree (>92%) of sequence conservation. Given that analogous types of retinal neurons express GNB3 in different species, we propose that the functions and the mechanisms that regulate the expression of GNB3 are highly conserved.

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Impaired vision in chickens associated with retinal defects

Cited by 14 publications

References 0 publications

An inherited retinopathy in commercial breeding chickens

An inherited retinopathy in commercial breeding chickens

Collagen organization in the chicken cornea and structural alterations in the retinopathy, globe enlarged (rge) phenotype—An X-ray diffraction study

The pattern of expression of guanine nucleotide-binding protein β3 in the retina is conserved across vertebrate species

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