gms | German Medical Science

102. Jahrestagung der DOG

Deutsche Ophthalmologische Gesellschaft e. V.

23. bis 26.09.2004, Berlin

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A role for Uracil DNA Glycosylase (UDG) in murine retina function?

Meeting Abstract

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  • corresponding author A. Lipski - Klinik und Poliklinik für Augenheilkunde der Universität Rostock; Klinik für Neurologie, Campus Mitte der Charité Berlin
  • S. Skosyrski - Klinik und Poliklinik für Augenheilkunde, Campus Wedding der Charité Berlin
  • M. Endres - Klinik für Neurologie, Campus Mitte der Charité Berlin
  • K. Rüther - Klinik und Poliklinik für Augenheilkunde, Campus Wedding der Charité Berlin

Evidenzbasierte Medizin - Anspruch und Wirklichkeit. 102. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Ophthalmologischen Gesellschaft. Berlin, 23.-26.09.2004. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2004. Doc04dogDO.12.10

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/dog2004/04dog110.shtml

Published: September 22, 2004

© 2004 Lipski et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

Text

Objective

Retinal neurosensory function is limited by recessive inheritable defects of DNA repair (Cockayne syndrome). UDG is expressed in mouse retina where its function is initiation of Base Excision Repair (BER) of aberrant Uracil residues in mitochondrial or nuclear DNA. Recent publications indicated possible protection from photochemical and age-related retinal damage by BER (Gordon et al., 2002; Sparrow et al., 2003). Uracil accumulation in mitochondrial and/or nuclear DNA could lead to faulty transcripts and may impair cellular transmembrane potentials through hampered protein function. Here, we tested the hypothesis, whether or not UDG deletion might result in detectable retinal electrophysiologic changes.

Methods

Electroretinographic (ERG) tests were performed in UDG-/- and UDG+/+ mice strains.

Results

In our preliminary results, analysis of a-waves and b-waves failed to evince significant differences between UDG null vs. UDG wildtype mice.

Conclusions

In comparison, ERG tests of basal retinal function in UDG-/- and UDG+/+ mice so far show similar results. Further analysis of retinal function under certain stress conditions may uncover a role for BER of Uracil in maintaining neurosensory retinal function.