Project description:A hallmark of inherited retinal degenerative diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is progressive structural and functional remodeling of the remaining retinal cells as photoreceptors degenerate. Extensive remodeling of the retina stands as a barrier for the successful implementation of strategies to restore vision. To understand the molecular basis of remodeling, we performed analyses of single-cell transcriptome data from adult Zebrafish retina of wild-type and a P23H mutant rhodopsin transgenic model of RP with continuous degeneration and regeneration. We provide a benchmark atlas of retinal cell type transcriptomes in Zebrafish and find changes in all retinal cell types in the P23H model. These include widespread oxidative stress, changes in reliance on oxidative metabolism and glycolysis, widespread synaptic remodeling, and changes in circadian rhythm regulation. This comprehensive transcriptomic analysis provides a molecular road map to understand how the retina remodels in the context of chronic retinal degeneration with ongoing regeneration.
Project description:In mammals, retinal damage is followed by Müller glia cell activation and proliferation. While retinal gliosis persists in adult mammals after an insult or disease, some vertebrates, including zebrafish, have the capacity to regenerate. We believe we are the first group to show that gliosis is a fibrotic-like process in mammals’ eyes caused by differential activation of canonical and non-canonical TGFβ signaling pathways.