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We have used immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization to examine the expression of photoreceptor specific genes in retinas of normal dogs and those affected with hereditary cone degeneration (cd), a rare autosomal recessive disorder that selectively affects cones. In thecdretina, cone disease begins early in life; cones are lost by extrusion of the nucleus into the inner segment, and later, by displacement of the nucleus, surrounded by a thin rim of cytoplasm, into the interphotoreceptor space. Two micrometer sections from the superior and inferior retinal meridians, extending from the optic disk to the ora serrata, were used for in situ …

Opsin mRNA level and immunoreactivity were examined by in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry in normal and progressive rod cone degeneration (prcd)-affected dogs. In situ hybridization used 35S- and/or 3 H-labeled bovine opsin cRNA probes; immunocytochemistry used six monoclonal mouse anti-bovine opsin antibodies (MAb1) that are specific to different regions of the N-terminal, loop v-vi and the C-terminal domains. Optimal labeling and histological resolution at the single cell level were achieved with semi-thin sections of DGD wax-embedded tissues; it was possible to correlate the cytochemical observations with the disease staging in topographically defined regions that exhibited different disease severity. In early …