Background Information

 In the United States, 11.8 million people are currently affected by retinal diseases which impact their vision. The ability to regenerate the retina following injury is present in a limited number of vertebrates. The newt Pleurodeles  waltl (P. waltl), possesses the ability of retinal regeneration by retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) reprogramming throughout its lifespan. However, it is unknown whether this process requires the activation of cellular events that occur during development. Therefore, in this project, our goal was to characterize newt eye morphogenesis, with a particular focus on RPE and retinal development to identify cellular and molecular mechanisms necessary for retina regeneration in P. waltl to apply it to species with limited regenerative abilities, such as humans.

Hypothesis

Eye morphogenesis in newts differs from other species, given their unique regenerative capabilities.

Methodology

•Eggs incubated in Holtfreter’s solution

•Newt embryos collected at 4-12 days post-fertilization (dpf)

•qPCR analyzed for genes of interest

•Immunostaining involved the use of Hoechst and  Pax6

Conclusions

• Eye structure visible at 4dpf

• Distinct eye structure (Lens, retina, RPE) present at 5 dpf 

• Gene expression across all analyzed genes peaks around 10-11dpf