TAM receptor function in the retinal pigment epithelium
D Prasad, CV Rothlin, P Burrola… - Molecular and Cellular …, 2006 - Elsevier
The TAM receptor tyrosine kinase Mer is expressed by cells of the retinal pigment epithelium
(RPE), and genetic studies have demonstrated that Mer is essential for RPE function. RPE
cells that lack Mer exhibit a severely compromised ability to phagocytose the distal ends of
photoreceptor (PR) outer segments, which leads to the complete postnatal degeneration of
photoreceptors and to blindness. Although in vitro experiments have implicated Gas6 as the
critical TAM ligand for this process, we find that Gas6 mutant mice have a histologically intact …
(RPE), and genetic studies have demonstrated that Mer is essential for RPE function. RPE
cells that lack Mer exhibit a severely compromised ability to phagocytose the distal ends of
photoreceptor (PR) outer segments, which leads to the complete postnatal degeneration of
photoreceptors and to blindness. Although in vitro experiments have implicated Gas6 as the
critical TAM ligand for this process, we find that Gas6 mutant mice have a histologically intact …
