Cone photoreceptors are required for color discrimination and high-resolution central vision and are lost in @entity1020 , cone and cone/rod @entity3986 . Cone transplantation could represent a therapeutic solution. However, an abundant source of @entity1 cones remains difficult to obtain. Work performed in model organisms suggests that anterior neural cell fate is induced 'by default' if @entity6861 , @entity2533 and Wnt activities are blocked, and that photoreceptor genesis operates through an S-cone default pathway. We report here that @entity46356 ( @entity68502 ), a member of the Cerberus gene family, is expressed in the developing and adult @entity19 retina. Upon exposure to recombinant @entity46356 , @entity1 embryonic stem cells (hESCs) differentiated into S-cone photoreceptors, developed an @entity389 , and could degrade @entity6708 when exposed to light. Addition of thyroid hormone resulted in a transition from a unique S-cone population toward a mixed M/S-cone population. When cultured at confluence for a prolonged period of time, @entity46356 -exposed hESCs spontaneously developed into a cellular sheet composed of polarized cone photoreceptors. @entity46356 showed dose-dependent and synergistic activity with @entity442 at blocking @entity6861 / @entity2533 /Wnt signaling, while its cone-inducing activity was blocked in a dose-dependent manner by exposure to @entity6861 , @entity2533 or Wnt-related proteins. Our work thus provides a unique platform to produce @entity1 cones for developmental, biochemical and therapeutic studies and supports the hypothesis that photoreceptor differentiation operates through an S-cone default pathway during @entity1 retinal development.

Differentiation of XXXX embryonic stem cells into cone photoreceptors through simultaneous inhibition of @entity6861 , @entity2533 and Wnt signaling.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human'] @entity6708 :: ('CHEBI:16356', 'Chemical') :: ['cGMP'] @entity68502 :: ('23863(Tax:10090)', 'Gene') :: ['Dand5'] @entity19 :: ('10090', 'Species') :: ['mouse'] @entity3986 :: ('MESH:D009136', 'Disease') :: ['dystrophies'] @entity442 :: ('3479', 'Gene') :: ['IGF1'] @entity2533 :: ('7040', 'Gene') :: ['TGFb'] @entity389 :: ('MESH:D007759', 'Disease') :: ['inner segment-like protrusion'] @entity46356 :: ('CHEBI:46791', 'Chemical') :: ['Coco', 'COCO'] @entity1020 :: ('MESH:D008268', 'Disease') :: ['macular degenerations'] @entity6861 :: ('649', 'Gene') :: ['BMP']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['human']
