Fatty acid binding-proteins and endocannabinoids in the retina; roles in glial reactivity and reprogramming of Muller glia into progenitor cells

Project Summary: There is a rapidly growing body of evidence that Müller glia can are a source of retinal progenitors to promote neural regeneration. Many studies have demonstrated that Müller glia can become proliferating progenitor cells in the retinas of different vertebrate species. Most reports have studied Müller

glia-derived progenitors in acutely damaged retinas. However, little is known about the mechanisms that stimulate neurogenesis from Müller glia-derived progenitors in undamaged retinas or retinas undergoing slow, progressive degeneration. Furthermore, the regeneration of retinal neurons in warm-blooded vertebrates is

limited compared to that seen in cold-blooded vertebrates. Therefore, the identification of the secreted factors and signaling pathways that block or stimulate neural regeneration from Müller glia-derived progenitors is crucially important to developing new therapies to treat degenerative diseases of the human retina. We have

obtained compelling novel preliminary data indicating that Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) and endocannabinoids impact the de-differentation and reprogramming of Müller glia into proliferating, neurogenic retinal progenitors in chicks and mice. We will investigate how the phenotype and plasticity of the Müller glia

are regulated by FABPs and endocannabinoids in normal, damaged and growth factor-treated retinas. We will use a combination of pharmacological and genetic approaches to selectively activate or inhibit FABPs and endocannabinoid-signaling. We will compare and contrast how FABPs and endocannabinoid-signaling impacts

the formation of Müller glia-derived progenitors in chick and rodent model systems with different inherent capacities for retinal regeneration. We expect that the completion of the experiments described in this proposal will provide significant new information regarding how mature Müller glia can be reprogrammed into

Müller glia-derived progenitors that regenerate retinal neurons. Identification and understanding of the mechanisms that enhance the neurogenic potential of Müller glia is required to develop new therapies for sight- threatening diseases, such as glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration that involve the loss of

retinal neurons.