Neural retina leucine-zipper regulates the expression of Ppp2r5c, the regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A, in photoreceptor development.

Protein phosphatase 2A plays an important role in balancing phosphorylation signals that are critical for cell proliferation and differentiation. Here, we report that Ppp2r5c (regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A) expression was regulated by the transcription factor neural retina leucine-zipper (Nrl) through enhancement of its transcriptional activity on the Ppp2r5c promoter. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation, we also found that Nrl bound directly to the Nrl-response element on the Ppp2r5c promoter. The affinity of binding of Nrl to the Ppp2r5c promoter was tightly regulated during mouse photoreceptor development. Overall, these results suggest that Ppp2r5c expression is regulated by Nrl during retinogenesis through direct binding to the promoter region of Ppp2r5c.