advertisement
Abstract #81958 Published in IGR 20-4
Human retinal ganglion cell axon regeneration by recapitulating developmental mechanisms: effects of recruitment of the mTOR pathway
Teotia P; Van Hook MJ; Fischer D; Ahmad IDevelopment 2019; 146:
The poor axon regeneration in the central nervous system (CNS) often leads to permanent functional deficit following disease or injury. For example, degeneration of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons in glaucoma leads to irreversible loss of vision. Here, we have tested the hypothesis that the mTOR pathway regulates the development of human RGCs and that its recruitment after injury facilitates axon regeneration. We observed that the mTOR pathway is active during RGC differentiation, and using the induced pluripotent stem cell model of neurogenesis show that it facilitates the differentiation, function and neuritogenesis of human RGCs. Using a microfluidic model, we demonstrate that recruitment of the mTOR pathway facilitates human RGC axon regeneration after axotomy, providing evidence that the recapitulation of developmental mechanism(s) might be a viable approach for facilitating axon regeneration in the diseased or injured human CNS, thus helping to reduce and/or recover loss of function.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
Full articleClassification:
3.6 Cellular biology (Part of: 3 Laboratory methods)
11.8 Neuroprotection (Part of: 11 Medical treatment)
