Large is required for normal astrocyte migration and retinal vasculature development

BACKGROUND: Persistent fetal vasculature (PFV) is a congenital developmental anomaly of the eye that accounts for about 5% of childhood blindness. The molecular mechanism of PFV remains unclear. As a glycosyltransferase of α-dystroglycan, LARGE mutations have been found in congenital muscular dystrophy patients with brain abnormalities. Spontaneous Large mutant mice displayed similar symptoms of human muscle–eye–brain disorders. However, the detailed roles of Large in ocular vasculature development still need to be uncovered. RESULTS: In this paper, we report that a novel Large mutation generated by the piggyBac transposon insertion leads to PFV and abnormal retinal vasculature in mice. Glycosylation of α-DG, an essential component of the extracellular matrix, was significantly impaired in these Large mutants, leading to broken inner limiting membrane (ILM). As a guide of the retinal vasculature development, the distribution of retinal astrocytes became irregular within the retina, and many astrocytes abnormally migrated into the vitreous along with the hyaloid vessels in Large mutants. CONCLUSIONS: Large is essential for ILM formation and retinal astrocyte migration. The novel Large mutant mouse can serve as a new PFV model to further dissect LARGE functions in ocular vasculature development.