Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which relay visual information from the eye to the brain, are the first cell type generated during retinal neurogenesis. Loss of function of the transcription factor Atoh7 , which is expressed in multipotent early neurogenic retinal progenitor cells, leads to a selective and near complete loss of RGCs. Atoh7 has thus been considered essential for conferring competence on progenitors to generate RGCs. However, when apoptosis is inhibited in Atoh7- deficient mice by loss of function of Bax , only a modest reduction in RGC number is observed. Single-cell RNA-Seq of Atoh7;Bax -deficient retinas shows that RGC differentiation is delayed, but that RGC precursors are grossly normal. Atoh7;Bax -deficient RGCs eventually mature, fire action potentials, and incorporate into retinal circuitry, but exhibit severe axonal guidance defects. This study reveals an essential role for Atoh7 in RGC survival, and demonstrates Atoh7- independent mechanisms for RGC specification.
Source: Science Advances
Institutions: Johns Hopkins University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Maryland, College Park, Johns Hopkins Medicine, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, Montreal Clinical Research Institute, Université de Montréal, McGill University, Northwestern University, Transilvania University of Brașov, National Eye Institute, University of California, Davis
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Awards: G1344720611, Transcriptional regulation of retinal cell differentiation and function, Identification of gene regulatory networks that control proliferative and neurogenic competence in mammalian Müller glia, Identification of the molecular mechanisms mediating intrinsic control of retinal progenitor competence, The role of CFAP69 in olfaction, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Genetic Basis of Congenital Anophthalmia, Role of mammalian retinal photoreceptors in non-image-forming visual functions, Computation at retinal synapses, Developmental origins of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, Regulation of the intrinsic melanopsin-based light response in ipRGCs
OpenAlex ID: W3134132874