Development 129, 3161-3171 (2002) 3161 Printed in Great Britain © The Company of Biologists Limited 2002 DEV1795 The role of bone morphogenetic proteins in the differentiation of the ventral optic cup Ruben Adler1 and Teri L. Belecky-Adams2,* 1The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA 2Department of Biology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA *Author for correspondence (e-mail:
[email protected]) Accepted 20 March 2002 SUMMARY The ventral region of the chick embryo optic cup undergoes stages of development, this treatment resulted in a complex process of differentiation leading to the microphthalmia with concomitant disruption of the formation of four different structures: the neural retina, developing neural retina, RPE and lens. At optic cup the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the optic disk/optic stages, however, noggin overexpression caused colobomas, stalk, and the pecten oculi. Signaling molecules such as pecten agenesis, replacement of the ventral RPE by retinoic acid and sonic hedgehog have been implicated neuroepithelium-like tissue, and ectopic expression of optic in the regulation of these phenomena. We have now stalk markers in the region of the ventral retina and RPE. investigated whether the bone morphogenetic proteins This was frequently accompanied by abnormal growth of (BMPs) also regulate ventral optic cup development. Loss- ganglion cell axons, which failed to enter the optic nerve. of-function experiments were carried out in chick embryos The data suggest that endogenous BMPs have significant in ovo, by intraocular overexpression of noggin, a protein effects on the development of ventral optic cup structures. that binds several BMPs and prevents their interactions with their cognate cell surface receptors.