Gene expression in retina and LGN of wild type and Chrnb2-/- mice. Mus musculus

Mice lacking the beta 2 subunit (Chrnb2) of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor display altered retinal waves and disorganized projections of the retinal ganglion cells to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). mRNA populations from retinas and LGN from Chrnb2-/-and wild type (C57BL/6J) mice were compared at 4 days postnatal, when RGC segregation to the LGN begins in WT mice. Retinal mRNAs were also compared at adulthood. Using microarray hybridization, we identified transcripts which are differentially expressed between Chrnb2-/- and wild type animals in these two tissues at these two ages. Overall design: mRNA was isolated from retina and LGN of three male littermates each of WT and Chrnb2-/- mice at P4. mRNA from retinas of two adult male littermates of each type was also examined.