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Heterogeneity of retina Müller glia and their possible role neuroprotecting retinal ganglion cells
Author(s) -
Vecino E.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2015.0282
Subject(s) - retina , retinal , neurite , biology , muller glia , neuroscience , neuroglia , regeneration (biology) , intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells , retinal regeneration , retinal ganglion cell , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroregeneration , anatomy , central nervous system , stem cell , botany , in vitro , genetics , progenitor cell
Summary The retinal Müller glia, provide structural and trophic support to retinal ganglion cells ( RGC s) in the healthy retina and may also have a function in promoting cell survival after injury. Defining and understanding glial heterogeneity is an important goal since it would enable to better understand the fundamental role of these cells during retinal pathologies and could even open novel therapeutic avenues, such as targeted manipulations of sub‐populations in order to quench pro‐inflammatory destructive processes and/or stimulate regeneration of neurons in retinal degenerative diseases. Muller glia primary cell cultures in combination with RGC s have been studied. The heterogeneity of the glial cultures was characterized and their effect on RGC survival and neurite elongation. We found that cultured adult RGC s in close contact with adult Müller cells exhibit improved cell viability and significant neurite elongation. Not all Müller cells express their molecular markers with the same intensity. These results suggest that Müller glia support RGC regeneration not only by direct interaction, but also releasing soluble trophic factors. Further understanding of the relationship between retinal glia and RGC s is important in order to identify potential therapeutic targets to encourage retinal neuroregeneration.