Which factor is required for neural retina formation?
Neural retina formation from inner layer of optic cup requires sustained Pax6 expression cooperating with Rx, Chx10, and Sox2 transcription factors. Pax6 maintains retinal progenitor multipotency, activates proneural genes Atoh7 and Neurod1 for ganglion and amacrine differentiation, and represses retinal pigmented epithelium fate via Mitf suppression. Sox2 also expressed but alone insufficient, Otx2 specifies RPE, L-Maf drives lens crystallins. Pax6 conditional deletion in optic cup converts presumptive neural retina into pigmented epithelium and abolishes retinogenesis, demonstrating essentia
Ref: Gilbert, Developmental Biology, 12th ed., Chapter 12: Neural retina formation – Pax6 requirement and Mitf repression.
