Editor's Summary
9 November 2006
Retinal repair
Photoreceptor loss results in irreversible blindness in many retinal diseases. Attempts to repair the damage by implanting brain or retinal stem cells into adult retina have largely failed, with no new photoreceptors produced and few signs that transplanted cells connect with retinal neurons or restore vision. Now, an experiment in mice shows that adult retina can incorporate new photoreceptor cells, provided the transplanted cells are committed rod precursors at a certain stage of development, defined by expression of transcription factor Nrl (tagged green in the cell in the centre of the cover; rhodopsin, the rod photopigment, is shown red). The study could pave the way for the generation of cells suitable for transplantation from either embryonic or adult-derived stem cells. The findings also challenge the common assumption that undifferentiated stem cells offer the best prospect for CNS repair.
News and Views: Neurobiology: Right timing for retina repair
Transplants of photoreceptor cells offer hope for treating retinal disease. But getting the cells to make the right connections with the brain has been problematic. It seems the developmental stage of the cells may be the key.
Thomas A. Reh
doi:10.1038/444156a
Letter: Retinal repair by transplantation of photoreceptor precursors
R. E. MacLaren, R. A. Pearson, A. MacNeil, R. H. Douglas, T. E. Salt, M. Akimoto, A. Swaroop, J. C. Sowden and R. R. Ali
doi:10.1038/nature05161
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