Opsin synthesis in the c57BL/6-mi^vit/mi^vit mouse model of retinal degeneration

The capacity of photoreceptor cells to synthesize opsin was evaluated in a newly-described mouse model of retinal degeneration, the C57BL/6-mi^vtt/mi^vit. The mi^vit/mi^vit mouse loses photoreceptor cells at a rate of about one row per month beginning at 8 weeks, ROS are severely disrupted at 4 months, RPE is unevenly pigmented. Retinas of affected and control mice ages 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 and 52 weeks were incubated for 2 hours in medium containing [³H] leucine. Homogenates of retina samples were subjected to SDS-PAGE using disc gels. The gels were sliced and counted by scintillation. The incorporation of [³H] leucine into opsin was compared with its incorporation into other retinal proteins. During the early time points studied, mi^vit/mi^vit retinas incorporated proportionately similar amounts of [³H] leucine into opsin versus other retinal proteins as did controls. At 12 weeks, the percentage was about 80% and it continued to decline over the succeeding weeks studied. By 1 year, the proportion of leucine incorporated into opsin versus other proteins was only about 23 % the amount incorporated in controls. The results of the present study suggest that the mi^vit/mi^vit photoreceptor cells are able to synthesize opsin and the gradual decline in synthetic ability follows the gradual loss of cells and is not correlated with the disruption of ROS.