Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
Myo/Nog cells play a pivotal role in ocular development and demonstrate a rapid response to stress and injury. This study investigates their behavior and distribution in a murine model of retinitis pigmentosa, specifically in C3H/HeJ mice, which exhibit photoreceptor degeneration due to a homozygous mutation in the Pde6brd1 gene. Retinal samples from C3H/HeJ and C57BL/6J mice were analyzed at postnatal weeks 2.5 to 6 using hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunofluorescence for brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1) expressed in Myo/Nog cells, and TUNEL labeling for apoptotic cell detection. The results demonstrated a progressive thinning of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) in C3H mice, accompanied by a significant increase in Myo/Nog cell numbers. In normal retinas, Myo/Nog cells were primarily located in the inner nuclear and outer plexiform layers. However, in C3H/HeJ mice, they accumulated in the ONL near apoptotic photoreceptors and within the choroid. Notably, in these degenerative regions, Myo/Nog cells exhibited features of phagocytosis, suggesting a role in apoptotic cell clearance. Additionally, parallels between Myo/Nog cell responses in retinitis pigmentosa and models of oxygen-induced retinopathy, ocular hypertension, and light damage suggest that these cells may be leveraged for therapeutic purposes.
Publication Title
Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
Recommended Citation
Crowley, Diana; Murad, Samantha; Helm, Courtney; Souza, Rachel; Coughlan, Sarah; Serpico, Scott; Sugarman, Eric; Marguiles, Kyle; Heist, Brian; Mitchell, Kathryn D.; Sutera, Christopher K.; Martin, Mark; Font, Carlos; Woodruff, Mary; Tsai, E-Jine; Brahmbhatt, Rushil; Lecker, Paul; Gorski, Grzegorz; Benalcazar, John; Young, Serena; Martin, Abey; Gugerty, Lindsay; Gerhart, Jacquelyn; George-Weinstein, Mindy; and Bravo Nuevo, Arturo, "Increased Myo/Nog Cell Presence and Phagocytic Activity in Retinal Degeneration: Insights from a Mouse Model" (2025). PCOM Scholarly Works. 2317.
https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/scholarly_papers/2317
DOI: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/app15105486
Comments
This article was published in Applied Sciences (Switzerland).
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78244-2_68.
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. CC BY 4.0.