Tissue biology of apoptosis. Ref-1 and cell differentiation in the developing retina.

Programmed cell death by apoptosis plays a major role in neurogenesis. The sensitivity to apoptosis in developing nervous tissue is strongly dependent on cell interactions taking place within a highly structured environment, composed of various cell types at distinct stages of differentiation. In this article, we review evidence gathered both in vivo and in a histotypical retinal explant preparation in vitro that the bifunctional AP endonuclease/redox factor Ref-1 (HAP1, APE, APEX) may be an anti-apoptotic protein associated with cell differentiation in the developing retina.