Philippe Garteiser1, Bruce A. Berkowitz2,3,
Debbie Saunders1, Rebecca Cranford1, Rheal A. Towner1,
Michael H. Elliott4
1Advanced Magnetic Resonance Center,
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, United States; 2Department
of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United
States; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Wayne State University,
Detroit, MI, United States; 4Department of Ophtalmology, Dean A
McGee Eye Institute, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma
City, OK, United States
Mn-enhanced
MRI (MEMRI) has recently emerged as an important tool in retinal function
studies. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), the principal protein member of caveolar
membrane domains, is believed to be essential to blood-retinal barrier
integrity and ion homeostasis of the retina. Here, we evaluate how MEMRI and
other MRI techniques may detect functional disruptions induced by cell
type-specific knock out of the Cav-1 gene in mice. The MEMRI signature of
light and dark adaptation and the dynamic gadolinium-enhanced signal behavior
of iodate-induced retinal impairments indicate that both methods have
sufficient sensitivity to warrant their application to cell-type specific
Cav-1 ko mice.