Scientists have known for years that a lattice of blood vessels nourishes cells in the retina that allow us to see – but it’s been a mystery how the intricate structure is created.
Now, researchers at UC San Francisco have found a new type of neuron that guides its formation.
The discovery, described in the May 23, 2024, issue of Cell, could one day lead to new therapies for diseases that are related to impaired blood flow in the eyes and brain.
The researchers worked with newborn mice, whose eyes still need several weeks to develop fully. They labeled the retinal neurons closest to the blood vessels with a protein that glows green under ultraviolet light so he could observe the lattice as it was forming.
The team then identified a subset of neurons, called perivascular neurons, which contact and then surround growing blood vessels, directing them to form the lattice. These perivascular neurons produce a protein called PIEZO2 that enables them to sense when they are touching another cell.
Perivascular neurons in mice that were unable to produce PIEZO2 could not maintain contact with blood vessels, and they grew in a tangled, disorganized way that disrupted blood flow.
Starved for oxygen, the surrounding nerve cells degraded, and the mice were more vulnerable to stroke-like injuries.
The scientists believe damage to the blood vessel lattice may play a role in neurodegenerative diseases.