We propose to refine and extend several efficient morphometric and physiological measurements from eyes and retinas of common inbred and recombinant inbred strain of mice. One emphasis of this work is to develop significantly faster ways to carry out unbiased and reliable quantitative analyses of murine retinas. To explore the genetic basis of eye disease, we are acquiring data from mice belonging to over 100 strains and crosses. Some of these strains have already proved to be valuable models for studing serious diseases that compromise human vision--glaucoma, myopia, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa. We now are adapting efficient clinical diagnostic procedures (cryostat sectioning) and video-enhanced DIC microscopy to carry out a comprehensive biometric survey of the range of variation in eye, retinal, and optic nerve architecture. Data are acquired from mice of both sexes and a wide range of ages. Electroretinograms, pupillary reflexes, and optical measurement of eyes will also be obtained to assess functional aspects of vision in numerous and diverse strains. All of these data are being integrated into a sophisticated and universally accessible database available on the World Wide Web at nervenet.org.
| Zhou, G; Strom, R C; Giguere, V et al. (2001) Modulation of retinal cell populations and eye size in retinoic acid receptor knockout mice. Mol Vis 7:253-60 |
