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Choi J, Li J, Ferdous S, Liang Q, Moffitt JR, Chen R. Spatial organization of the mouse retina at single cell resolution by MERFISH. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4929. [PMID: 37582959 PMCID: PMC10427710 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40674-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The visual signal processing in the retina requires the precise organization of diverse neuronal types working in concert. While single-cell omics studies have identified more than 120 different neuronal subtypes in the mouse retina, little is known about their spatial organization. Here, we generated the single-cell spatial atlas of the mouse retina using multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH). We profiled over 390,000 cells and identified all major cell types and nearly all subtypes through the integration with reference single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. Our spatial atlas allowed simultaneous examination of nearly all cell subtypes in the retina, revealing 8 previously unknown displaced amacrine cell subtypes and establishing the connection between the molecular classification of many cell subtypes and their spatial arrangement. Furthermore, we identified spatially dependent differential gene expression between subtypes, suggesting the possibility of functional tuning of neuronal types based on location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jongsu Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Salma Ferdous
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Qingnan Liang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Moffitt
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital; Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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2
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Keeley PW, Patel SS, Reese BE. Cell numbers, cell ratios, and developmental plasticity in the rod pathway of the mouse retina. J Anat 2023; 243:204-222. [PMID: 35292986 PMCID: PMC10335380 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The precise specification of cellular fate is thought to ensure the production of the correct number of neurons within a population. Programmed cell death may be an additional mechanism controlling cell number, believed to refine the proper ratio of pre- to post-synaptic neurons for a given species. Here, we consider the size of three different neuronal populations in the rod pathway of the mouse retina: rod photoreceptors, rod bipolar cells, and AII amacrine cells. Across a collection of 28 different strains of mice, large variation in the numbers of all three cell types is present. The variation in their numbers is not correlated, so that the ratio of rods to rod bipolar cells, as well as rod bipolar cells to AII amacrine cells, varies as well. Establishing connectivity between such variable pre- and post-synaptic populations relies upon plasticity that modulates process outgrowth and morphological differentiation, which we explore experimentally for both rod bipolar and AII amacrine cells in a mouse retina with elevated numbers of each cell type. While both rod bipolar dendritic and axonal arbors, along with AII lobular arbors, modulate their areal size in relation to local homotypic cell densities, the dendritic appendages of the AII amacrine cells do not. Rather, these processes exhibit a different form of plasticity, regulating the branching density of their overlapping arbors. Each form of plasticity should ensure uniformity in retinal coverage in the presence of the independent specification of afferent and target cell number.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick W. Keeley
- Neuroscience Research InstituteUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Shivam S. Patel
- Neuroscience Research InstituteUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Benjamin E. Reese
- Neuroscience Research InstituteUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Psychological & Brain SciencesUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
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3
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Clemons MR, Flores AA, Black CX, Murphy MK, Dimico RH, Fife P, Lee MD, Camerino MJ, Schlussler M, Baielli M, Rogers A, Bartle A, Beard R, Cooper R, Fuerst PG. Student remote and distance research in neuroanatomy: Mapping Dscaml1 expression with a LacZ gene trap in mouse brain. Anat Histol Embryol 2023; 52:73-84. [PMID: 36148518 PMCID: PMC9845144 DOI: 10.1111/ahe.12865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Undergraduate student engagement in research increases retention and degree completion, especially for students who are underrepresented in science. Several approaches have been adopted to increase research opportunities including curriculum based undergraduate research opportunities (CUREs), in which research is embedded into course content. Here we report on efforts to tackle a different challenge: providing research opportunities to students engaged in remote learning or who are learning at satellite campuses or community colleges with limited research infrastructure. In our project we engaged students learning remotely or at regional centers to map gene expression in the mouse brain. In this project we mapped expression of the Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule like 1 (Dscaml1) gene in mouse brain using a LacZ expression reporter line. Identifying where Dscaml1 is expressed in the brain is an important next step in determining if its roles in development and function in the retina are conserved in the rest of the brain. Students working remotely reconstruct brain montages and annotated Dscaml1 expression in the brain of mice carrying one or two copies of the gene trap. We built on these findings by further characterizing Dscaml1 expression in inhibitory neurons of the visual pathway. These results build on and extend previous findings and demonstrate the utility of including distance learners in an active research group for both the student learners and the research team. We conclude with best practices we have developed based on this and other distance learner focused projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mellisa R. Clemons
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Alex A. Flores
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Cailyn X. Black
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Molly K. Murphy
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Ren H. Dimico
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Parker Fife
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Mark D. Lee
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Michael J. Camerino
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Megan Schlussler
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Michael Baielli
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Aspen Rogers
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Amaris Bartle
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Reese Beard
- University of Idaho, Department of Biological Sciences, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
| | - Rhena Cooper
- North Idaho College, Division of Natural Sciences, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, 83814, USA
| | - Peter G. Fuerst
- University of Washington School of Medicine, WWAMI Medical Education Program, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA
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4
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A Bietti Crystalline Dystrophy Mouse Model Shows Increased Sensitivity to Light-Induced Injury. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113108. [DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bietti crystalline corneo-retinal dystrophy (BCD) is an autosomal recessive inherited retinal dystrophy characterized by multiple shimmering yellow-white deposits in the posterior pole of the retina in association with atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), pigment clumps, and choroidal atrophy and sclerosis. Blindness and severe visual damage are common in late-stage BCD patients. We generated a Cyp4v3 knockout mouse model to investigate the pathogenesis of BCD. This model exhibits decreased RPE numbers and signs of inflammation response in the retina. Rod photoreceptors were vulnerable to light-induced injury, showing increased deposits through fundoscopy, a decrease in thickness and a loss of cells in the ONL, and the degeneration of rod photoreceptors. These results suggest that an inflammatory response might be an integral part of the pathophysiology of BCD, suggesting that it might be reasonable for BCD patients to avoid strong light, and the results provide a useful model for evaluating the effects of therapeutic approaches.
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Li Q, Zhu H, Fan M, Sun J, Reinach PS, Wang Y, Qu J, Zhou X, Zhao F. Form-deprivation myopia downregulates calcium levels in retinal horizontal cells in mice. Exp Eye Res 2022; 218:109018. [PMID: 35240197 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2022.109018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The process of eye axis lengthening in myopic eyes is regulated by multiple mechanisms in the retina, and horizontal cells (HCs) are an essential interneuron in the visual regulatory system. Wherein intracellular Ca2+ plays an important role in the events involved in the regulatory role of HCs in the retinal neural network. It is unknown if intracellular Ca2+ regulation in HCs mediates changes in the retinal neural network during myopia progression. We describe here a novel calcium fluorescence indicator system that monitors HCs' intracellular Ca2+ levels during form-deprivation myopia (FDM) in mice. AAV injection of GCaMP6s, as a protein calcium sensor, into a Gja10-Cre mouse monitored the changes in Ca2+signaling in HC that accompany FDM progression in mice. An alternative Gja10-Cre/Ai96-GCaMP6s mouse model was created by cross mating Gja10-Cre with Ai96 mice. Immunofluorescence imaging and live imaging of the retinal cells verified the identity of these animal models. Changes in retinal horizontal cellular Ca2+ levels were resolved during FDM development. The numbers of GCaMP6s and the proportion of HCs were tracked based on profiling changes in GCaMP6s+calbindin+/calbindin+ coimmunostaining patterns. They significantly decreased more after either two days (P < 0.01) or two weeks (P < 0.001) in form deprived eyes than in the untreated fellow eyes. These decreases in their proportion reached significance only in the retinal central region rather than also in the retinal periphery. A novel approach employing a GCaMP6s mouse model was developed that may ultimately clarify if HCs mediate Ca2+ signals that contribute to controlling FDM progression in mice. The results indicate so far that FDM progression is associated with declines in HC Ca2+ signaling activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qihang Li
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - He Zhu
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Miaomiao Fan
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jing Sun
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Peter S Reinach
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuhan Wang
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jia Qu
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; Research Unit of Myopia Basic Research and Clinical Prevention and Control, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU025), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiangtian Zhou
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; Research Unit of Myopia Basic Research and Clinical Prevention and Control, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU025), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Fuxin Zhao
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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Sharpe ZJ, Shehu A, Ichinose T. Asymmetric Distributions of Achromatic Bipolar Cells in the Mouse Retina. Front Neuroanat 2022; 15:786142. [PMID: 35095431 PMCID: PMC8792968 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2021.786142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In the retina, evolutionary changes can be traced in the topography of photoreceptors. The shape of the visual streak depends on the height of the animal and its habitat, namely, woods, prairies, or mountains. Also, the distribution of distinct wavelength-sensitive cones is unique to each animal. For example, UV and green cones reside in the ventral and dorsal regions in the mouse retina, respectively, whereas in the rat retina these cones are homogeneously distributed. In contrast with the abundant investigation on the distribution of photoreceptors and the third-order neurons, the distribution of bipolar cells has not been well understood. We utilized two enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) mouse lines, Lhx4-EGFP (Lhx4) and 6030405A18Rik-EGFP (Rik), to examine the topographic distributions of bipolar cells in the retina. First, we characterized their GFP-expressing cells using type-specific markers. We found that GFP was expressed by type 2, type 3a, and type 6 bipolar cells in the Rik mice and by type 3b, type 4, and type 5 bipolar cells in the Lhx4 mice. All these types are achromatic. Then, we examined the distributions of bipolar cells in the four cardinal directions and three different eccentricities of the retinal tissue. In the Rik mice, GFP-expressing bipolar cells were more highly observed in the nasal region than those in the temporal retina. The number of GFP cells was not different along with the ventral-dorsal axis. In contrast, in the Lhx4 mice, GFP-expressing cells occurred at a higher density in the ventral region than in the dorsal retina. However, no difference was observed along the nasal-temporal axis. Furthermore, we examined which type of bipolar cells contributed to the asymmetric distributions in the Rik mice. We found that type 3a bipolar cells occurred at a higher density in the temporal region, whereas type 6 bipolar cells were denser in the nasal region. The asymmetricity of these bipolar cells shaped the uneven distribution of the GFP cells in the Rik mice. In conclusion, we found that a subset of achromatic bipolar cells is asymmetrically distributed in the mouse retina, suggesting their unique roles in achromatic visual processing.
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West ER, Lapan SW, Lee C, Kajderowicz KM, Li X, Cepko CL. Spatiotemporal patterns of neuronal subtype genesis suggest hierarchical development of retinal diversity. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110191. [PMID: 34986354 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
How do neuronal subtypes emerge during development? Recent molecular studies have profiled existing neuronal diversity, but neuronal subtype genesis remains elusive. The 15 types of mouse retinal bipolar interneurons are characterized by distinct functions, morphologies, and transcriptional profiles. Here, we develop a comprehensive spatiotemporal map of bipolar subtype genesis in the murine retina. Combining multiplexed detection of 16 RNA markers with timed delivery of 5-ethynyl uridine (EdU) and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), we analyze more than 30,000 single cells in full retinal sections to classify all bipolar subtypes and their birthdates. We find that bipolar subtype birthdates are ordered and follow a centrifugal developmental axis. Spatial analysis reveals a striking wave pattern of bipolar subtype birthdates, and lineage analyses suggest clonal restriction on homotypic subtype production. These results inspire a hierarchical developmental model, with ordered subtype genesis within lineages. Our results provide insight into neuronal subtype development and establish a framework for studying subtype diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R West
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Sylvain W Lapan
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - ChangHee Lee
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kathrin M Kajderowicz
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Xihao Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Constance L Cepko
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA.
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West ER, Cepko CL. Development and diversification of bipolar interneurons in the mammalian retina. Dev Biol 2021; 481:30-42. [PMID: 34534525 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The bipolar interneurons of the mammalian retina have evolved as a diverse set of cells with distinct subtype characteristics, which reflect specialized contributions to visual circuitry. Fifteen subtypes of bipolar interneurons have been identified in the mouse retina, each with characteristic gene expression, morphology, and light responses. This review provides an overview of the developmental events that underlie the generation of the diverse bipolar cell class, summarizing the current knowledge of genetic programs that establish and maintain bipolar subtype fates, as well as the events that shape the final distribution of bipolar subtypes. With much left to be discovered, bipolar interneurons present an ideal model system for studying the interplay between cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms that influence neuronal subtype development within the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R West
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Constance L Cepko
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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