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.

ABSTRACT: 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, such as glaucoma, and there are currently no FDA-approved drugs or therapies to protect RGCs from death. Zebrafish possess remarkable neuroprotective and regenerative abilities. 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 ar

SUBMITTER: Chen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8601708 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature