Notch signaling represses cone photoreceptor formation through the regulation of retinal progenitor cell states

Xueqing Chen,Mark M Emerson

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-93692-w

Abstract

Notch signaling is required to repress the formation of vertebrate cone photoreceptors and to maintain the proliferative potential of multipotent retinal progenitor cells. However, the mechanism by which Notch signaling controls these processes is unknown. Recently, restricted retinal progenitor cells with limited proliferation capacity and that preferentially generate cone photoreceptors have been identified. Thus, there are several potential steps during cone genesis that Notch signaling could act. Here we use cell type specific cis-regulatory elements to localize the primary role of Notch signaling in cone genesis to the formation of restricted retinal progenitor cells from multipotent retinal progenitor cells. Localized inhibition of Notch signaling in restricted progenitor cells does not alter the number of cones derived from these cells. Cell cycle promotion is not a primary effect of Notch signaling but an indirect effect on progenitor cell state transitions that leads to depletion of the multipotent progenitor cell population. Taken together, this suggests that the role of Notch signaling in cone photoreceptor formation and proliferation are both mediated by a localized function of Notch in multipotent retinal progenitor cells to repress the formation of restricted progenitor cells.

Highlights

Notch signaling is required to repress the formation of vertebrate cone photoreceptors and to maintain the proliferative potential of multipotent retinal progenitor cells
Identification of restricted retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) states with limited cell fate potential suggests that there are at least some deterministic processes involved and these are additional, discrete cellular steps in the formation of specific cell types during which genes could act
Though we detected reduced horizontal cells (HCs) when we interfered with Notch signaling, we did not detect a concomitant increase in photoreceptors within the ThrbCRM1 restricted RPC daughter cell population (Fig. 8)

Summary

Introduction

Notch signaling is required to repress the formation of vertebrate cone photoreceptors and to maintain the proliferative potential of multipotent retinal progenitor cells. Cell cycle promotion is not a primary effect of Notch signaling but an indirect effect on progenitor cell state transitions that leads to depletion of the multipotent progenitor cell population Taken together, this suggests that the role of Notch signaling in cone photoreceptor formation and proliferation are both mediated by a localized function of Notch in multipotent retinal progenitor cells to repress the formation of restricted progenitor cells. Conditional loss of Notch[1] in the later postnatal period, after the window of cone genesis, reveals that rod photoreceptors are increased, which suggests that Notch signaling plays a more general role in repression of the photoreceptor fate[14] It has been suggested in this postnatal context that Notch signaling can function in postmitotic cell fates to repress the rod fate[17]. The columns represent mean, and the error bars represent standard deviation

Methods

Results

Conclusion