RHODOPSIN REPLACEMENT RESCUES PHOTORECEPTOR STRUCTURE DURING A CRITICAL DEVELOPMENTAL WINDOW

Rhodopsin is essential for normal photoreceptor development in Drosoph ila (O'Tousa er al., 1989; Leonard et al., 1992; Kumar and Ready, 1995 ) and in mice (Humphries et al., 1997). Here we report studies in whic h a rhodopsin transgene is expressed at restricted stages during the d evelopment of Drosophila photoreceptors otherwise lacking rhodopsin. S ubstantial rescue of normal photoreceptor structure and physiology is effected by rhodopsin expression during the time of the normal onset o f rhodopsin synthesis. Expression shortly before or after this critica l period does not rescue these deficits. There is a critical developme ntal period in which rhodopsin plays its key role in photoreceptor mor phogenesis. (C) 1997 Academic Press.