Open Access Research Article:
Regeneration of Cone Photoreceptors when Cell Ablation Is
Primarily Restricted to a Particular Cone Subtype
Abstract
We sought to characterize the regenerated cells, if any,
when photoreceptor ablation was mostly limited to a particular cone subtype.
This allowed us to uniquely assess whether the remaining cells influence
specification of regenerating photoreceptors. The ability to replace lost
photoreceptors via stem cell therapy holds promise for treating many retinal
degenerative diseases. Zebrafish are potent for modelling this because they
have robust regenerative capacity emanating from endogenous stem cells, and
abundant cone photoreceptors including multiple spectral subtypes similar to
human fovea.