Animal experiments: zebrafish guide us to produce new therapies for human vision

  If the fisheye is damaged or injured to some extent, it has the precious ability to regenerate itself. Unfortunately, the human eye does not have the same benefits. However, new research reveals the details of fish self-repair mechanisms and may eventually lead to new therapies for human vision.

  Reading newspapers may not be as easy as before, because as you age, your eyesight will decrease. In addition to this normal development called presbyopia, there are other diseases caused by eye degeneration.

  Age-related yellowing is very common, and it is the main cause of vision loss in people over 50. In this case, the spots near the center of the retina will be damaged, blurring or distorting vision. Retinitis pigmentosa is another type of disease that affects the response of the retina to light. The disease is hereditary and progressive, but it is not a complete loss of vision.

  A new study is studying the regeneration ability of corn. Corn can recover from damage and restore vision within a few weeks. This new study provides some insights that can help researchers regenerate the human eye. It helps repair the damage caused by diseases such as age-related luteal degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

  This new study was conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and led by Professor James Parton of Stephenson of Vanderbild Biology. The results were published in the journal Cell Reports.

  How to regenerate fish eyes

  Researchers began to hypothesize that neurotransmitters may be involved in fish retina regeneration. The structure of the retina of fish and mammals is very similar. A trigger

  Ao hypothetical mouse research found that this neurotransmitter called GABA can regulate the activity of certain retinal stem cells. The GABA neurotransmitter usually acts as an inhibitor, thereby reducing the ability of neurons to stimulate surrounding neurons. GABA neurotransmitters are very common in the brain and account for 30% to 40% of all synapses. Among other cells, the retina also contains stem cells called Mullagria. In humans and other mammals, these cells provide "structural support" throughout the layers of the retina, but in fish, these glial cells also play an important role in regeneration. During regeneration, these cells undergo a form of degradation called dedifferentiation. This means returning from a special state to a more general and simple state. Then they split again. Neurotransmitters can trigger the regeneration process. In the zebrafish experiment, Rao et al. hypothesized that GABA production was reduced by alternating stimulation and infusion of enzymes. I tested

  They found that high levels of GABA in the retina inactivated Mullaglia cells. When the GABA level in the retina decreases, glial cells begin to dedifferentiate and proliferate, which is part of the regeneration process.

  In the future, we plan to investigate whether GABA is also involved in the creation of new photoreceptor cells and the differentiation of other specialized retinal nerve cells.