Atoh7 promotes retinal Muller cell differentiation into retinal ganglion cells

Glaucoma is one of the leading eye diseases due to the death of retinal ganglion cells. Increasing evidence suggests that retinal Muller cells exhibit the characteristics of retinal progenitor cells and can differentiate to neurons in injured retinas under certain conditions. However, the number of ganglion cells differentiated from retinal Muller cells falls far short of therapeutic needs. This study aimed to promote the differentiation of retinal Muller cells into ganglion cells by introducing Atoh7 into the stem cells dedifferentiated from retinal Muller cells. Rat retinal Muller cells were isolated and dedifferentiated into stem cells, which were transfected with PEGFP-N1 or PEGFP-N1-Atoh7 vector, and then further induced to differentiate into ganglion cells. The proportion of ganglion cells differentiated from Atoh7-tranfected stem cells was significantly higher than that of control transfected or untransfected cells. In summary, Atoh7 promotes the differentiation of retinal Muller cells into retinal ganglion cells. This may open a new avenue for gene therapy of glaucoma by promoting optic nerve regeneration.