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Editors Selection IGR 7-3

Basic Science: RGC Regeneration

Comment by Franz Grus on:

61071 Influence of extracellular matrix components on the expression of integrins and regeneration of adult retinal ganglion cells, Vecino E; Heller JP; Veiga-Crespo P et al., PLoS ONE, 2015; 10: e0125250

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Apoptotic processes are thought to play a major role in the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) in glaucoma patients. However, it is still unclear which factors determine if some RGCs are resistant to injury at some extent and others are not. RGCs do not respond in the same way to damage and the capacity of RGCs to survive or regenerate is variable. Elena Vecino et al. analyzed in this important paper the extracellular matrix (ECM) and integrin expressions. The authors used different ECM substrates such as Poly-L-Lysine (PL), PL plus laminin (L), collagen I (CI), collagen IV (CIV), or fibronectin (F) to test their effects on the survival rate of primary RGC cultures. Additionally, they looked for the integrin expression after ten days and if the different substrates had any effect on the length and branching complexity of the neurites of the RGCs.

The authors could demonstrate that PL and L were associated with the greatest survival rate of RGCs. Furthermore, they could clearly show that the substrates affected the number and lengths of the RGC neurites. L led to the stimulation of the longest outgrowth. Interestingly, the authors could find at least three different types of RGCs in terms of their capacity to regenerate and the growth of neurites.

This is an extremely interesting and important result, because there is still no explanation for the difference of RGCs in their sensitivity to damage. This paper provides really interesting hints to different type of characteristics of RGCs. I would encourage the authors to continue this interesting work and further characterize the RGC subtypes they demonstrated in their paper on the molecular level, e.g., by proteomics techniques. Those molecular markers might then help to understand the differences between the subtypes and the possible pathways involved.

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