ROM1 and retinitis pigmentosa 1: Research carried out with animal models by Kedzierski et al [18] studying rds and rom1 transgenic/knockout mice found that photoreceptor degeneration in peripherin/RDS-mediated RP appears to be caused by a simple deficiency of rds and rom1. Thus, below a critical threshold for the combined abundance of rds and rom1, the extent of outer segment (OS) disorganization results in clinically significant photoreceptor degeneration.