Diversity in homeostatic calcium set points predicts retinal ganglion cell survival following optic nerve injury in vivo
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration drives vision loss in blinding conditions. RGC death is often triggered by axon degeneration in the optic nerve. Here, we study the contributions of dynamic and homeostatic Ca 2+ levels to RGC death from axon injury. We find that axonal Ca 2+ elevations from optic nerve injury do not propagate over distance or reach RGC somas, and acute and chronic Ca 2+ dynamics do not affect RGC survival. Instead, we discover that baseline Ca 2+ levels vary widely between RGCs and predict their survival after axon injury, and that lowering these levels reduces RGC survival. Further, we find that well-surviving RGC types have higher baseline Ca 2+ levels than poorly surviving types. Finally, we observe considerable variation in the baseline Ca 2+ levels of different RGCs of the same type, which are predictive of within-type differences in survival.
Source: Cell Reports
Authors: Sean McCracken, Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Allison L. Hall, Zelun Wang, Daniel Kerschensteiner, Josh L. Morgan, Philip R. Williams
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,460
Awards: G2081555056, Tools and approaches for functional connectomics of dense neuropils, Development and function of glomerular microcircuits in the visual thalamus, G2846206359, G2942207271, Neuronal plasticity in retinal circuit development and disease, Core Grant for Vision Research, G5670553580, G7005689920, G7183255997, National Research Service Award-Medical Scientist, G8965870423, G9000080444, Visual pathway cooperation to align viewing strategies and processing specializations for predation, Interdisciplinary Training in Vision Science, Identifying and leveraging strategies of inherently resilient retinal neurons to treat degeneration, Synapse rescue and neuroprotection in the retina, Synaptic Organization and Function of Retinal Interneurons and Downstream Visual Pathways
OpenAlex ID: W4387009522