Lamins are type V intermediate filament proteins that support nuclear membranes. 
They are divided into A-type lamins, which include lamin A and C, and B-type 
lamins, which include lamin B1 and B2. In the rat brain, lamin A and C are 
expressed in relatively equal amounts, while the expressions of lamin B1 and B2 
vary depending on the cell type. Lamins play important roles in normal 
morphogenesis and function. In the nervous system, their abnormal expression 
causes several neurodegenerative diseases such as peripheral neuropathy, 
leukodystrophy and lissencephaly. The retina belongs to the central nervous 
system (CNS) and has widely been used as a source of CNS neurons. We 
investigated the expression patterns of lamin subtypes in the adult rat retina 
by immunohistochemistry and found that the staining patterns differed when 
compared with the brain. All retinal neurons expressed lamin B1 and B2 in 
relatively equal amounts. In addition, horizontal cells and a subpopulation of 
retinal ganglion cells expressed lamin A and C, while photoreceptor cells 
expressed neither lamin A nor C, and all other retinal neurons expressed lamin C 
only. This differential expression pattern of lamins in retinal neurons suggests 
that they may be involved in cellular differentiation and expression of 
cell-specific genes in individual retinal neurons.