PUBLICATION
Glial cells expressing visual cycle genes are vital for photoreceptor survival in the zebrafish pineal gland
- Authors
- Elazary, Y., Cheow, K., Cheng, R.K., Ghosh, R., Shainer, I., Wexler, Y., Crasta, K., Gothilf, Y., Jesuthasan, S.J.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-230125-2
- Date
- 2023
- Source
- Journal of pineal research 74(3): e12854 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Gothilf, Yoav, Jesuthasan, Suresh, Shainer, Inbal
- Keywords
- clearance, extracellular vesicles, glia, meninges, rhodopsin, visual cycle
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Melatonin*
- Neuroglia
- Photoreceptor Cells/physiology
- Pineal Gland*
- Zebrafish/genetics
- PubMed
- 36692235 Full text @ J. Pineal Res.
Citation
Elazary, Y., Cheow, K., Cheng, R.K., Ghosh, R., Shainer, I., Wexler, Y., Crasta, K., Gothilf, Y., Jesuthasan, S.J. (2023) Glial cells expressing visual cycle genes are vital for photoreceptor survival in the zebrafish pineal gland. Journal of pineal research. 74(3):e12854.
Abstract
Photoreceptors in the vertebrate eye are dependent on the retinal pigmented epithelium for a variety of functions including retinal re-isomerization and waste disposal. The light-sensitive pineal gland of fish, birds and amphibians is evolutionarily related to the eye, but lacks a pigmented epithelium. Thus, it is unclear how these functions are performed. Here, we ask whether a subpopulation of zebrafish pineal cells, which express glial markers and visual cycle genes, is involved in maintaining photoreceptors. Selective ablation of these cells leads to a loss of pineal photoreceptors. Moreover, these cells internalise exorhodopsin that is secreted by pineal rod-like photoreceptors, and in turn release CD63-positive extracellular vesicles that are taken up by pdgfrb-positive phagocytic cells in the forebrain meninges. These results identify a subpopulation of glial cells that is critical for pineal photoreceptor survival and indicate the existence of fibroblasts in the forebrain meninges that receive extracellular vesicles released by these pineal cells and potentially function in waste disposal. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping