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Gut microbiota regulates optic nerve fiber myelination
Giulia Ronchi1, Davide Pellegrino1, Marwa El Soury1
1Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences & Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
|March 14, 2025
Summary
The gut microbiota influences optic nerve myelination in adult mice, affecting axon size and myelin thickness. Germ-free conditions prolong myelination, highlighting the gut-eye axis connection.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Microbiology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Emerging evidence suggests a gut-eye axis linking gut microbiota to eye diseases.
- The specific impact of gut microbiota on optic nerve development, particularly myelination, remains unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of gut microbiota in optic nerve fiber maturation and myelination.
- To compare optic nerve development in germ-free, gnotobiotic, and conventionally colonized mice.
Main Methods:
- Stereological and morphoquantitative analyses of optic nerves from germ-free (GF), gnotobiotic (OMM12), and complex gut microbiota (CGM) mice.
- Transmission electron microscopy and quantitative real-time PCR for gene expression analysis of myelin-related factors (Olig1, Olig2, Sox10).
Main Results:
- Young adult GF and OMM12 mice showed smaller, hypermyelinated optic nerve axons compared to CGM mice.
- Key myelination regulators (Olig1, Olig2, Sox10) were downregulated in adult CGM and OMM12 mice but not in GF mice.
- Absence of gut microbiota appeared to prolong optic nerve myelination stimulation.
Conclusions:
- Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating optic nerve myelination during development.
- These findings contribute to understanding the gut-eye and gut-brain axes.
- Opens avenues for exploring microbiota's role in optic nerve pathologies and regeneration.
