Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI) - Retina

Molecular Discovery for Optic Nerve Regeneration (Goldberg Lab)

The aim of this project is to identify genes and proteins that promote or inhibit the ability of retinal ganalion cells to regenerate axons and form functional synaptic connections. This work has been published in the following manuscripts:

• The Retinal Ganglion Cell Transportome Identifies Proteins Transported to Axons and Presynaptic Compartments in the Visual System In Vivo (2019-08-13)

See the following visualizations to explore the findings:

• Transcriptional profiling of RGCs during optic nerve regeneration

See the summary and/or data for this project on the Data tab above.

Another project, with collaboration from the lab of Dan Geschwind (UCLA), was to study transcription factors that drive the program of optic nerve regeneration with extensive bioinformatics work and spinal cord data. This work has been published in the following manuscripts:

Transcription factor network analysis identifies REST/NRSF as an intrinsic regulator of CNS regeneration in mice (2022-08-29)

Novel Targets to Promote RGC Axon Regeneration (Park Lab)

The aim of this project is to idenity genes and lipids that give subtypes of retinal gnaglion cells a greate propensity to regenerate axons and form function synaptic connections. This work has been published in the following manuscripts:

• Thrombospondin-1 Mediates Axon Regeneration in Retinal Ganglion Cells (2019-08-21)
• Lipid profiling dataset of the Wnt3a-induced optic nerve regeneration (2019-05-24)

See the following visualizations to explore the findings:

• Thrombospondin-1 Mediates Axon Regeneration in RGCs

See the summary and/or data for this project on the Data tab above.

Evaluation of Novel Targets for RGC Axon Regeneration (Strittmater Lab)

The aim of this project is to evaluate 450 candidate genes for their ability to regenerate retinal ganglion cell axons. This work has been published in the following manuscripts:

• Functional Genome-wide Screen Identifies Pathways Restricting Central Nervous System Axonal Regeneration (2018-07-03)

See the summary and/or data for this project on the Data tab above.

Searching for Molecules that Promote Photoreceptor Synaptogenesis (Zack Lab)

The aim of this project is to idenitfy small molecules that influence human photoreceptor neurite outgrpwth and bipolar neuron synaptogenesis. This work has been published in the following manuscripts:

• A Novel Approach to Single Cell RNA-Sequence Analysis Facilitates In Silico Gene Reporting of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Cell Types (2018-03-01)

See the following visualizations to explore the findings:

• Project: KGS

Comparative transcriptomic and Epigenetic Analyses of Müller glia Reprogramming (Hyde Lab)

The aim of this project is to compare the changes in gene expression and chromatin accesssibility in Müller glia from species that can regenerate neurons and those that cannot. This work has been published in the following manuscripts:

• Gene regulatory networks controlling vertebrate retinal regeneration (2020-11-20)
• Decomposing Cell Identity for Transfer Learning across Cellular Measurements, Platforms, Tissues, and Species (2021-02-17)
• Notch3 and DeltaB maintain Müller glia quiescence and act as negative regulators of regeneration in the light-damaged zebrafish retina (2021-03-01)
• Single-Cell RNA-Seq Analysis of Retinal Development Identifies NFI Factors as Regulating Mitotic Exit and Late-Born Cell Specification (2019-06-19)
• Single-Cell Analysis of Human Retina Identifies Evolutionarily Conserved and Species-Specific Mechanisms Controlling Development (2020-05-18)
• The cellular and molecular landscape of hypothalamic patterning and differentiation from embryonic to late postnatal development (2020-08-13)

See the following visualizations to explore the findings:

• Mouse Retinal Development Single Cell RNAseq analysis
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Mouse retina following NMDA treatment
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Mouse Trajectory of Müller glia in response to NMDA treatment
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Mouse Retina following light damage
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Mouse Trajectory of Müller glia in response to light damage
• Mouse and Zebrafish retinal development RNAseq with FPKM
• Retinal Regeneration Single cell of Chick Retina following NMDA/growth factor (GF, insulin+FGF) treatment
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Zebrafish Retina development
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Chick Trajectory of Müller glia in response to NMDA/GF treatment
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Zebrafish Retina following light damage
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Zebrafish Retina following NMDA treatment
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Zebrafish Retina following TNFɑ and the gamma secretase inhibitor RO4929097 (T+R) treatment
• Retinal Regeneration Single Cell of Zebrafish Trajectory of Müller glia in response to NMDA, light damage and T+R treatments

See the summary and/or data for this project on the Data tab above.

Novel Activators of Regeneration in Müller glia (Levine Lab)

The aim of this project is to study the regenerative role of extracellular vesicalus in Müller glia in mice and fish. This work has been published in the following manuscripts:

• Induction of a proliferative response in the zebrafish retina by injection of extracellular vesicles (2020-11-01)

See the following visualizations to explore the findings:

• MA+Volcano plot of Normal mouse Müller glia (Tomato+ v. Tomato-)
• Differentially expressed small RNAs in rat C6 cells and their extracellular vesicles

See the summary and/or data for this project on the Data tab above.