Visual information is transmitted from the eye to the brain along the optic nerve, a structure composed of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons. The optic nerve is highly vulnerable to damage in neurodegenerative diseases like glaucoma and there are currently no FDA-approved drugs or therapies to protect RGCs from death. Zebrafish possess remarkable neuroprotective and regenerative abilities and here, utilizing an optic nerve transection (ONT) injury and an RNA-seq-based approach, we identify genes and pathways active in RGCs that may modulate their survival. Through pharmacological perturbation, we demonstrate that JAK/STAT pathway activity is required for RGC survival after ONT. Furthermore, we show that immune responses directly contribute to RGC death after ONT; macrophages/microglia are recruited to the retina and blocking neuroinflammation or depleting these cells after ONT rescues survival of RGCs. Taken together, these data support a model in which crosstalk between macrophages/microglia and RGCs, mediated by Jak/Stat pathway activity, regulates RGC survival after optic nerve injury.
Retinal ganglion cell survival after severe optic nerve injury is modulated by crosstalk between JAK/STAT signaling and innate immune responses in the zebrafish retina
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): BrightFocus Foundation
- Award Id(s): G2020277
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): National Eye Institute
- Award Id(s): P30-EY08098
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Eye and Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh
- Funder(s):
- Award Group:
- Funder(s): Research to Prevent Blindness
- Funder(s):
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- Accepted Manuscript 16 September 2021
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Si Chen, Kira L. Lathrop, Takaaki Kuwajima, Jeffrey M. Gross; Retinal ganglion cell survival after severe optic nerve injury is modulated by crosstalk between JAK/STAT signaling and innate immune responses in the zebrafish retina. Development 2021; dev.199694. doi: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.199694
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