HSP70 cleavage-induced photoreceptor cell death caused by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea

Retinal degenerative diseases (RDs) such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are characterized by slowly progressive photoreceptor cell death, but the molecular mechanism underlying RP remains unclear. Animal models for RP have led to a better understanding of the disease pathological mechanisms, yet it remains difficult to identify an appropriate genetic model for RDs in general because there are many causative genes (Rossmiller et al., 2012).