Transcriptional control of retina development

Genetic and expression studies have indicated that the development of vertebrate eyes is guided by a conserved gene regulatory network. The aim of the project was to study the role of selected transcription factors in neuroepithelium‐derived structures of the eye. We combined the power of mouse genetics via the use of conditional knockouts with molecular studies of transcriptional regulation through implementation of biochemical, transcriptomic and epigenomic approaches. In order to identify gene regulatory elements we generated genome‐wide occupancy data for a defined set of transcription factors using mouse embryonic retina as a sample. We will present our preliminary genetic data on functional validation of selected retina enhancers.