Muriel PERRON
Stem Cells and Neurogenesis in the Retina (SCaNR)
Stem Cells and Neurogenesis in the Retina (SCaNR)
KEYWORDS: Retinal stem cells, Xenopus and mouse
cell proliferation, regeneration, Hippo/YAP pathway
cell proliferation, regeneration, Hippo/YAP pathway
The overarching goal of our projects is to gain knowledge on the molecular mechanisms underlying the maintenance, recruitment and activity of neural stem cells in the retina under both physiological and pathological conditions. Müller cells, the major glial cell type in the retina, are of particular interest because they harbour stemness features and contribute to remarkable regeneration in certain species. Although such process is largely inefficient in mammals, mouse Müller glia retain the capacity to reprogram into retinal progenitors and contribute to adult neurogenesis upon acute retinal injury and the addition of appropriate growth factors. The challenge is to get more insights into the biology of these cells to inspire new strategies for revitalizing their potential for tissue regeneration. The strength of our team is to tackle this issue in vivo, in parallel in two complementary animal models with distinct regenerative properties, the mouse and the frog Xenopus.
