title: Neurotransmitter-Regulated Regeneration in the Zebrafish Retina.
abstract: Current efforts to repair damaged or diseased mammalian retinas are inefficient and largely incapable of fully restoring vision. Conversely, the zebrafish retina is capable of spontaneous regeneration upon damage using Müller glia (MG)-derived progenitors. Understanding how zebrafish MG initiate regeneration may help develop new treatments that prompt mammalian retinas to regenerate. We show that inhibition of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling facilitates initiation of MG proliferation. GABA levels decrease following damage, and MG are positioned to detect decreased ambient levels and undergo dedifferentiation. Using pharmacological and genetic approaches, we demonstrate that GABAAreceptor inhibition stimulates regeneration in undamaged retinas while activation inhibits regeneration in damaged retinas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 2325 Stevenson Center, Box 1820 Station B, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
authors.forename: Mahesh B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 2325 Stevenson Center, Box 1820 Station B, Nashville, TN 37235, USA.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Didiano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 2325 Stevenson Center, Box 1820 Station B, Nashville, TN 37235, USA. Electronic address: james.g.patton@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Patton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism; D012038:Regeneration; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
keywords: GABA; Müller glia; regeneration; retina; zebrafish