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Author Spotlight: Using the Split Retina Technique for Enhanced Access and Accelerated Experiments
Published on: January 16, 2024
Differentiation of the vertebrate retina is coordinated by an FGF signaling center
Juan-Ramon Martinez-Morales1, Filippo Del Bene, Gabriela Nica
1Developmental Biology Programme, EMBL-Heidelberg, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69012 Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
In vertebrates, midline-derived sonic hedgehog and nodal are crucial for the initial proximal-distal patterning of the eye. The establishment of the distal optic stalk is in turn a prerequisite to initiate retinogenesis. However, the signal that activates this process is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that in both chick and fish, the initiation of retinal differentiation is triggered by a species-specific localized Fgf signaling center that acts as mediator of the midline signals. The concerted activity of Fgf8 and Fgf3 is both necessary and sufficient to coordinate retinal differentiation independent of the connecting optic stalk.
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