Viral-mediated Pou5f1 (Oct4) overexpression and inhibition of Notch signaling synergistically induce neurogenic competence in mammalian Muller glia.

ABSTRACT: Retinal Müller glia in cold-blooded vertebrates can reprogram into neurogenic progenitors to replace neurons lost to injury, but mammals lack this ability. While recent studies have shown that transgenic overexpression of neurogenic bHLH factors and glial-specific disruption of NFI family transcription factors and Notch signaling induce neurogenic competence in mammalian Müller glia, induction of neurogenesis in wildtype glia has thus far proven elusive. Here, we report that viral-mediated overexpression of the pluripotency factor Pou5f1 (Oct4) induces transdifferentiation of mouse Müller glia into bipolar neurons, and synergistically stimulates glial-derived neurogenesis in parallel with Notch loss of function. Single-cell multiomic analysis shows that Pou5f1 overexpression

SUBMITTER: Le N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12088672 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature