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The Journal of Neuroscience, November 1, 2002, 22(21):9387-9398
Insulin and Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 Activate a
Neurogenic Program in Müller Glia of the Chicken Retina
Andy J.
Fischer,
Christopher Roger
McGuire,
Blair Dorian
Dierks, and
Thomas A.
Reh
Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington,
Seattle, Washington 98195
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ABSTRACT |
We have reported previously that neurotoxic damage to the chicken
retina causes Müller glia to dedifferentiate, proliferate, express transcription factors common to retinal progenitors, and generate new neurons and glia, whereas the majority of newly produced cells remain undifferentiated (Fischer and Reh, 2001 ). Because damaged
retinal cells have been shown to produce increased levels of
insulin-related factors and FGFs, in the current study we tested whether intraocular injections of growth factors stimulate Müller glia to proliferate and produce new neurons. We injected growth factors
and bromodeoxyuridine into the vitreous chamber of the eyes of chickens
and assayed for changes in glial phenotype and proliferation within the
retina. Although insulin or FGF2 alone had no effect, the combination
of insulin and FGF2 caused Müller glia to coexpress transcription
factors common to retinal progenitors (Pax6 and Chx10) and initiated a
wave of proliferation in Müller cells that began at the retinal
margin and spread into peripheral regions of the retina. Most of the
newly formed cells remain undifferentiated, expressing Pax6 and Chx10,
whereas some differentiate into Müller glia, and a few
differentiate into neurons that express the neuronal markers Hu or
calretinin. There was no evidence of retinal damage in eyes treated
with insulin and FGF2. We conclude that the combination of insulin and
FGF2 stimulated Müller glia to dedifferentiate, proliferate, and
generate new neurons. These findings imply that exogenous growth
factors might be used to stimulate endogenous glial cells to regenerate
neurons in the CNS.
Key words:
retina; insulin; FGF2; chick; Müller glia; regeneration; stem cell; progenitor
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INTRODUCTION |
The potential for neural
regeneration in the adult CNS of warm-blooded vertebrates has increased
in likelihood with the discovery of neural stem cells. Several studies
have demonstrated that particular types of neurons can be regenerated
in the cortex of mice (Magavi et al., 2000 ), vocal nuclei of songbirds
(Scharff et al., 2000 ), and the retina of chickens (Fischer and Reh,
2001a ). Common to all of these studies is the requirement for acute
destruction of neurons to stimulate regeneration. This implies that the
slow loss of neurons, which occurs in progressive neurodegenerative disorders, seems unlikely to prompt spontaneous neural regeneration. Thus, external intervention to induce the production of new neurons in
the absence of acute damage seems a necessary step toward regenerating neurons in tissues suffering from progressive cell loss. However, the
means by which to stimulate neural regeneration in the adult CNS
without eliciting damage remain unknown.
As noted above, recent evidence indicates that the retina of chickens
has the ability to regenerate neurons. In response to neurotoxic
damage, numerous Müller glia dedifferentiate, proliferate, express transcription factors (Cash1, Pax6, and Chx10)
common to retinal progenitors, and produce new
neurons (Fischer and Reh, 2001a ). To investigate the molecular
mechanisms responsible for this response, we tested whether exogenous
growth factors are capable of stimulating Müller glia to
dedifferentiate, proliferate, and produce new neurons. In response to
damage, growth factors, including fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), are
produced by retinal cells (Kostyk et al., 1994 ; Wen at al., 1995 ;
Valter et al., 1998 ; Cao et al., 2001 ; Walsh et al., 2001 ). In
addition, FGF has been shown to stimulate the proliferation of
embryonic retinal progenitors (Lillien and Cepko, 1992 ; Anchan and Reh,
1995 ) and promote the development of ganglion cells in the
retina (Pittack et al., 1991 , 1997 ; Guillemot and Cepko, 1992 ;
McCabe et al., 1999 ; Patel and McFarlane, 2000 ). Therefore, it is
possible that FGFs produced by damaged retinal cells cause Müller
glia to dedifferentiate, proliferate, and become progenitor-like cells
in toxin-damaged chick retina.
Like FGFs, insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) may be
involved in the Müller glial response to injury. During embryonic
retinal development, IGF-I is transiently expressed by Müller
glia and pigmented epithelial cells (Hansson et al., 1989 ; de la Rosa
et al., 1994 ). In addition, IGF-I stimulates the proliferation of
retinal progenitors (de la Rosa et al., 1994 ; Hernandez-Sanchez et al.,
1995 ) and promotes the differentiation and survival of amacrine cells
(Hernandez-Sanchez et al., 1995 ; Politi et al., 2001 ). Furthermore,
IGF-I acts synergistically with FGF2 to stimulate the proliferation of
oligodendrocyte progenitors (Jiang et al., 2001 ). The purpose of this
study was to test whether exogenous insulin and FGF stimulate
Müller glia in the chicken retina to dedifferentiate,
proliferate, and produce new neurons.
We found that intraocular injection of a combination of insulin and
FGF2, but not insulin or FGF2 alone, had a variety of influences on
postmitotic Müller glia, including: (1) suppression of glutamine
synthetase (GS) expression, (2) re-entry into the cell cycle in the
absence of retinal damage, (3) expression of Pax6 and Chx10, and (4)
production of new glia and neurons.
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METHODS AND MATERIALS |
Animals. The use of animals in these experiments was
in accordance with the guidelines established by the National
Institutes of Health and the University of Washington. Newly hatched
leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) were obtained
from H&N Highline International (Seattle, WA) and kept on a 16/8 hr
light/dark cycle (lights on at 6:00 A.M.). Chicks were housed in clear
Nalgene cages at ~25°C and received water and Purina chick starter
ad libitum.
Injections. Chicks were anesthetized and injected as
described previously (Fischer and Reh, 2000 ). Unless specified
otherwise, all injection paradigms began at postnatal day 7 (P7). The
left eye (control) was injected with 20 µl of vehicle [sterile
saline plus 0.1 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA)], and the right eye (treated) was injected with growth factors. Growth factors used in
these experiments included: purified bovine insulin (2 µg per injection), purified bovine FGF2 (100 ng per injection), recombinant human epidermal growth factor (EGF) (100 ng per injection), recombinant rat ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) (100 ng per dose), and purified
bovine FGF1 (100 ng per injection). All growth factors were obtained
from R & D Systems (Minneapolis, MN) and dissolved in saline plus 0.1 mg/ml BSA and 100 µg/ml 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) (Sigma, St.
Louis, MO).
Fixation and sectioning. Dissection, fixation, and
sectioning were performed as described previously (Fischer et al.,
1998 , 1999 ; Fischer and Reh, 2000 ).
Immunocytochemistry. Standard immunocytochemical techniques
were applied as described previously (Fischer et al., 1998 , 1999 ; Fischer and Reh, 2000 ). Working dilutions and sources of antibodies used in this study included: mouse anti-Pax6 at 1:50 [Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank (DSHB)], rabbit anti-Chx-10 at 1:4000 (Dr. T. Jessell, Columbia University, New York, NY), mouse anti-Hu at
1:200 (Monoclonal Antibody Facility, University of Oregon, Portland,
OR), rabbit anti-visinin at 1:5000 (Dr. R. S. Polans, Dow
Neurological Institute, Portland, OR), rabbit anti-PKC at 1:1000
(Research Diagnostics, Flanders, NJ), rabbit anti-glutamine synthetase
at 1:2000 (Dr. P. Linser, University of Florida, Saint Augustine, FL), mouse anti-neurofilament at 1:2000 (recognizes the 160 kDa isoform of neurofilament; RMO270; Zymed, South San Francisco, CA), rabbit anti-neurofilament at 1:1000 (recognizes the 145 kDa isoform of neurofilament; Chemicon, Temecula, CA), mouse anti- 3
tubulin at 1:1000 (TUJ-1; Covance), mouse anti-RA4 (Dr. S. McLoon,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN), mouse anti-neurofilament at
1:80 (recognizes the phosphorylated 200 kDa isoform of neurofilament;
RT97; DSHB), rat anti-BrdU at 1:80 (Accurate Chemicals, Westbury, NY),
and mouse anti-BrdU at 1:80 (G3B4; DSHB). Secondary antibodies included
goat anti-rabbit-Alexa568, goat anti-mouse-Alexa568, goat
anti-mouse-Alexa488, and goat anti-rat-Alexa488 (Molecular Probes,
Eugene, OR) diluted to 1:500 in PBS (0.05 M phosphate buffer and 145 mM NaCl, pH 7.4) plus
0.3% Triton X-100.
Labeling for fragmented DNA. 3' nick-end labeling was
performed as described previously (Fischer et al., 1998 ).
Measurements, cell counts, and statistical analyses. Errors
were calculated as the SD of each sample that was composed of at least
five individuals per group. To compare data from treated and control
eyes, statistical significance was assessed by using a two-tailed
Student's t test or ANOVA and post hoc
Student's t test. All measurements were made from digital
micrographs of the retinal margin, whereas all cell counts were made
under the microscope on at least four different sections per individual.
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RESULTS |
Insulin and FGF2 induce proliferation and accumulation of
progenitor-like cells in the retina
To deliver growth factors to the retina, we made one to three
consecutive daily intraocular injections starting at P7 of insulin alone (2 µg per dose), FGF2 alone (100 ng per dose), or insulin and
FGF2 together. We assayed whether exogenous growth factors stimulate
proliferation within the retina by injecting BrdU with the growth
factors into the eye and probing for incorporation of BrdU and
expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) by using
indirect immunofluorescence on retinal sections. In retinas treated
with insulin alone (Fig. 1a)
or two consecutive daily injections of insulin and FGF2 (data not
shown), we found BrdU/PCNA-labeled cells only at the peripheral edge of
the retina in the progenitor zone at the retinal margin. These findings
are consistent with previous reports (Fischer and Reh, 2000 ; Fischer et
al., 2002 ). Most (82.2 ± 4.1%) of the PCNA-labeled cells were
BrdU-labeled within the retina. In retinas treated with FGF2 alone
(data not shown), insulin alone (Fig. 1a,d), or
two injections of insulin and FGF2 (data not shown), we did not find
BrdU-labeled cells within the retina beyond the progenitor zone. In
contrast, 6 hr after the last of three consecutive daily injections of
insulin and FGF2, we found numerous BrdU-labeled cells in the retina
(Fig. 1b,e). These BrdU-labeled cells were found
near the center of the inner nuclear layer (INL), and some were in the
outer nuclear layer (ONL) (Fig. 1b). Six hours after the
last of three consecutive daily injections of insulin and FGF2, the
percentage of BrdU/PCNA-labeled cells within the retina was reduced
(40.9 ± 13.8%), with many PCNA-positive/BrdU-negative cells in
more central regions of the retina (Fig. 1b,e).
Forty-eight hours after the final injection of insulin and FGF2,
BrdU-labeled nuclei were found scattered throughout the ONL and INL,
farther away from the retinal margin ( 600 µm) than those observed
at 6 hr after the final injection (Fig. 1c). Forty-eight
hours after the last injection of insulin and FGF2, the percentage of
BrdU/PCNA-labeled cells within the retinal section was reduced
(10.1 ± 8.3%) from that observed at 6 hr after the final
injection of growth factors. This percentage was region specific;
within 500 µm of the retinal margin, 38.1 ± 7.6% of the
PCNA-expressing cells were labeled for BrdU (Fig. 1g),
whereas within >600 µm from the retinal margin, none of the PCNA-expressing cells were labeled for BrdU (Fig.
1f). Ten days after the final injection of insulin
and FGF2, numerous BrdU-labeled cells remained in the retina, in a
pattern similar to that observed at 48 hr after the final injection of
growth factors. BrdU-labeled cells were found only in peripheral
regions of the retina, within 1 mm of the retinal margin, whereas
PCNA-labeled cells were found in 2.5 mm from the retinal margin.
These findings indicate that BrdU applied with the final injection of
growth factors is cleared from the eye within 48 hr and fails to label
all PCNA-expressing proliferating cells. In addition, these findings
suggest that insulin and FGF2 initiate a wave of proliferating cells
within the retina that begins in the far peripheral retina and
progresses toward more central regions with increasing time after the
injection of insulin and FGF2.

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Figure 1.
Exogenous insulin and FGF2 stimulate the
proliferation of cells within peripheral regions of the retina.
Vertical sections of the retina were labeled with antibodies to PCNA
(in red) and BrdU (in green). Cells
double labeled for PCNA and BrdU appear yellow, because
all BrdU-labeled cells express PCNA. a-c, Montage
images of retinas from eyes that received three consecutive daily
injections of BrdU with insulin (a, d) or
insulin with FGF2 (b, c,
e-g). Injections were made from P7 through P9, and eyes
were harvested 6 hr (b, e), 24 hr
(a, d), or 48 hr (c,
f, g) after the final injection.
d-g, Enlarged images of the areas boxed out in
green in a-c. Arrows,
Retinal margin. Scale bars: b (for a,
b), c (for d-f), 200 µm; g, 50 µm. GCL, Ganglion cell
layer.
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To test whether insulin and FGF2 induce a wave of proliferating cells,
we made three consecutive daily injections of these growth factors
without BrdU and provided BrdU at different times after the final
injection of growth factors. In retinas that were treated with BrdU 6 hr after the final injection of insulin and FGF2, we observed many
BrdU/PCNA-labeled cells within the peripheral retina, within 500 µm
of the retinal margin, but not including substantial numbers of cells
within the progenitor zone (Fig. 2a,e). We also
found many cells labeled for PCNA alone, extending ~700 µm into the
retina (Fig. 2a,e). In eyes that were injected with BrdU 12 hr after the final injection of insulin and FGF2, we found
an area of BrdU/PCNA-labeled cells, ~700 µm wide, near the retinal
margin (Figs. 2b,f). We also found many
cells labeled for PCNA alone extending ~1000 µm into the retina
(Fig. 2b,f). When BrdU was injected 24 hr
after the final injection of insulin and FGF2, we observed numerous
BrdU/PCNA-labeled cells that extended over 1 mm into the retina (Fig.
2c,g). When BrdU was injected 48 hr after the
final injection of insulin and FGF2, we observed relatively few
BrdU-labeled cells scattered across the retina, whereas numerous
PCNA-labeled cells were found scattered within the peripheral retina
~2.5 mm from the retinal margin (Fig. 2d). With increasing
time after the final injection of insulin and FGF2, the region in which
BrdU- and PCNA-labeled cells were observed increased in size, spreading
from the far peripheral retina toward more central regions. The
greatest number of BrdU-labeled cells appeared when BrdU was applied 24 hr after the final injection of growth factors (164.3 ± 25.4 cells per section) (Fig. 2c), compared with numbers observed
when BrdU was applied at 6 hr (38.8 ± 8.5 cells per section), 12 hr (63.1 ± 12.7 cells per section), or 48 hr (59.5 ± 21.2 cells per section). Together, these findings indicate that three
consecutive daily injections of insulin and FGF2 induce a wave of
proliferating cells that begins at the retinal margin and propagates
several millimeters toward central regions of the retina.

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Figure 2.
Insulin and FGF2 induce a wave of
proliferating cells that begins at the retinal margin and proceeds
toward central regions of the retina. Vertical sections of the retina
were labeled with antibodies to PCNA (in red) and BrdU
(in green). Cells double labeled for PCNA and BrdU
appear yellow, because all BrdU-labeled cells express
PCNA. a-d, Retinas were obtained from eyes that
received three consecutive daily injections of insulin and FGF2
(without BrdU). Injections of growth factors were made from P7 through
P9, and a single injection of BrdU was made at 6 hr
(a), 12 hr (b), 24 hr
(c), or 48 hr (d) after the
final injection of growth factors. Eyes were harvested 6 hr
(a), 12 hr (b), or 24 hr
(c, d) after the injection of BrdU.
e-g, Images are enlarged from the areas boxed out in
green in a-d. Arrows,
Retinal margin. Scale bars: c (for a-c),
200 µm; g (for e-g), 50 µm.
GCL, Ganglion cell layer.
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Because we observed proliferating cells only in retinas that received
three, but not two, consecutive daily doses of insulin and FGF2, we
sought to test whether this was a cumulative effect. These three doses
would have totaled 6 µg of insulin and 300 ng of FGF2 delivered to an
eye. Accordingly, we gave a single large injection of insulin (6 µg)
and FGF2 (500 ng) and harvested the eyes 24 hr later. We found that a
single large dose of insulin and FGF2 did not stimulate the
proliferation of cells within the retina. This finding suggests that
repeated low doses or sustained levels of insulin and FGF2 are required
to stimulate the proliferation of cells within the retina.
Because EGF has been shown to stimulate the proliferation of
progenitors at the retinal margin of chickens (Fischer and Reh, 2000 ),
we tested whether EGF stimulated the proliferation of cells within the
retina. In eyes that received three consecutive daily injections of EGF
alone or EGF with insulin, we did not observe the proliferation of
cells within the retina (data not shown). Because CNTF is expressed at
increased levels in damaged retinas (Cao et al., 2001 ) and Müller
glia proliferate in damaged retinas (Fischer and Reh, 2001a ), we tested
whether CNTF stimulated the proliferation of Müller glia. In eyes
treated with three consecutive daily injections of CNTF alone or CNTF
with insulin, we did not observe proliferating cells within the retina
(data not shown).
Insulin and FGF2 induce the accumulation of progenitor-like cells
within peripheral regions of the retina
To test whether progenitor cells accumulated in peripheral
regions of growth factor-treated retinas, we double labeled sections with the antibodies Pax6 and Chx10. These homeodomain transcription factors are known to be coexpressed by embryonic retinal progenitors (Belecky-Adams et al., 1997 ), progenitors at the retinal margin of
postnatal chickens (Fischer and Reh, 2000 ), and Müller
glia-derived progenitors in acutely damaged chicken retina (Fischer and
Reh, 2001a ).
In saline-treated retinas, Pax6/Chx10-coexpressing cells were observed
only at the retinal margin (data not shown), consistent with our
previous report (Fischer and Reh, 2000 ). Injections of FGF2 or insulin
alone did not affect the distribution of Pax6/Chx10-coexpressing cells
at the retinal margin or within the retina (Fig.
3a,b). Twenty-four
hours after the last of three consecutive daily injections of insulin
with FGF2, there was a marked induction of Pax6/Chx10-immunoreactive cells within the retina; these cells were found within 1 mm of the
retinal margin (Fig. 3c,d). Ten days after the
final injection of insulin and FGF2, we found numerous
Pax6/Chx10-immunoreactive cells scattered throughout the ONL and INL
(Fig. 3e,f). All Pax6-labeled cells in the ONL were colabeled for Chx10 (n = 345).
Similar to the distribution of BrdU-labeled cells, the accumulation of
progenitor-like cells was not observed in central regions of the
retina but was confined to peripheral regions of the retina within 2.5 mm of the retinal margin. Pax6/Chx10-expressing cells in the ONL
decreased in abundance with increasing distance from the retinal margin (Fig. 3f). These observations were consistent for all
eyes treated with the combination of insulin and FGF2
(n = 10 for 24 hr after the final dose;
n = 5 for 10 d after the final dose).
Pax6/Chx10-double-labeled cells were never observed within retinas
treated with FGF2 alone (n = 6), insulin alone
(n = 12) (Fig. 3a,b), or one to two
consecutive daily doses of both insulin and FGF2 (n = 5 for both one and two doses).

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Figure 3.
Insulin and FGF2 induce the accumulation of
progenitor-like cells that coexpress Pax6 and Chx10 in the retina.
Retinas were treated with three consecutive injections of insulin
(a, b) or insulin and FGF2
(c-f). Retinas were processed for
immunocytochemistry 24 hr (a-d) or 10 d
(e, f) after the final injection.
Cells labeled for Pax6 alone are green, cells labeled
for Chx10 alone are red, and cells labeled for both Pax6
and Chx10 are yellow-orange. The yellow
rectangles in c and f are
enlarged in d and e, respectively. The
small arrows in d and e
indicate cells double labeled for Pax6 and Chx10. Scale bars:
c (for a, c),
d (for b, d,
e), 50 µm. GCL, Ganglion cell
layer.
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Müller glia proliferate and express Pax6 in response to
insulin and FGF2
The patterns of labeling for BrdU, Pax6, and Chx10 are similar to
those observed in toxin-treated retinas, where Müller glia give
rise to proliferating progenitor-like cells (Fischer and Reh, 2001a ).
To test whether Müller glia re-enter the cell cycle in retinas
treated with insulin and FGF2, we coinjected BrdU with growth factors
into eyes, dissected and fixed the retinas at different times after
injection, and then labeled retinal sections with antibodies to BrdU
and the Müller glial marker GS. Six hours after the final
injection of insulin and FGF2, we found that 77.9% (127 of 163 cells
counted from six individuals) of the BrdU-labeled cells in the INL were
GS-expressing Müller glia (Fig.
4a-c). However,
at 24 hr after the final injection of insulin and FGF2, we did not find
any clear examples of BrdU-labeled cells that were immunoreactive for
GS (data not shown). These findings suggest that between 6 and 24 hr
after the final injection, many Müller glia re-enter the cell
cycle and reduce their expression of GS before migrating to the ONL. To
further confirm this finding, we double labeled retinal sections with
antibodies to PCNA and GS. Six hours after the final injection of
insulin and FGF2, we found that all PCNA-labeled cells within the INL
were colabeled for GS (226 cells counted from six individuals) (Fig.
4d,e).

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Figure 4.
Insulin and FGF2 stimulate Müller glia to
re-enter the cell cycle and express PCNA and Pax6. Eyes received three
consecutive daily injections of insulin and FGF2 (a-i,
m-o) or insulin alone
(j-l), and tissues were harvested 6 hr
after the final injection. a-f, Vertical sections of
the retina that were labeled for GS (in red) and BrdU
(in green) (a, c) or PCNA
(in green) (d, f)
are shown. Small arrows, Cells that are double labeled
for GS and BrdU (a-c) or GS and PCNA
(d-f). Arrows, Cells double
labeled for GS and BrdU or PCNA; arrowheads, cells
labeled for GS alone. g-i, Vertical sections of the
retina that were labeled for BrdU (in green) and Pax6
(in red). Arrows, Cells that are double
labeled for BrdU and Pax6. j-l, Vertical sections of
the retina that were labeled for Pax6 (in green) and GS
(in red). Arrows, Cells that were double
labeled for Pax6 and GS. Scale bars: c (for
a-c), o (for d-o), 50 µm. GCL, Ganglion cell layer.
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Because we observed the accumulation of Pax6/Chx10-coexpressing cells
within the retina, we tested whether BrdU-labeled cells expressed Pax6.
In retinas treated with insulin and FGF2, some of the BrdU-labeled
cells in the INL and ONL were immunoreactive for Pax6 (Fig.
3g-i). Although the high density of Pax6/BrdU labeling in
the INL made it difficult to clearly distinguish double-labeled cells,
we were able to determine that 90.7% (137 of 151 counted from four
individuals) of the BrdU-labeled cells in the ONL were colabeled for
Pax6. The identity of the BrdU-positive/Pax6-negative cells remains
uncertain. Of the Pax6-labeled cells in the ONL, 45.5 ± 10.7%
(mean ± SE) (127 of 300 cells counted from four individuals) were
labeled for BrdU, suggesting that some of the Pax6-expressing cells in
the ONL may not have been dividing, or that these cells were in S phase
at a time when BrdU was no longer present in the eye.
We tested whether the combination of insulin and FGF2 stimulates
Müller glia proliferation and subsequent transformation into
progenitor-like cells in older animals by starting the injection paradigm at P24 instead of P7. Similar to the effects of insulin and
FGF2 in younger animals, we observed cells in peripheral regions of the
retina that were labeled for BrdU, PCNA, Pax6, and Chx10 (data not shown).
Identification of newly generated cells in the retina
The proliferation of Müller glia after injection of insulin
and FGF2 was similar to that reported for Müller glia in
toxin-damaged retinas (Fischer and Reh, 2001a ). After neurotoxic
damage, Müller glia give rise to numerous progenitor-like cells,
new glia, and new neurons (Fischer and Reh, 2001a ). To identify the
types of cells produced by Müller glia in response to insulin and
FGF2, we labeled retinal sections obtained from growth factor-treated eyes 14 d after the final injection with antibodies to BrdU and GS, Pax6, or the neuron-specific markers visinin, PKC, Hu, or calretinin. We found that ~24% of the Müller glia-derived
cells formed new Müller glia, as judged by colabeling
for BrdU and GS (Figs. 5a-c,
6). Most of the newly formed cells
appeared to be progenitor-like cells with continued expression of Pax6
(Figs. 5d-f, 6). We never observed BrdU-labeled cells that
expressed the photoreceptor marker visinin or the bipolar cell marker
PKC (Figs. 5g-i, 6). However, we found that ~4% of the
BrdU-labeled cells were immunoreactive for Hu (Figs. 5j-l,
6). Hu is an RNA-binding protein related to the ELAV proteins of
Drosophila and is expressed by neurons soon after they begin
to differentiate (Marusich et al., 1994 ; Barami et al., 1995 ). In the
chick retina, Hu is expressed by most if not all amacrine and ganglion
cells (Fischer and Reh, 2000 , 2001). BrdU/Hu-labeled cells had a
variety of morphologies and were found in different retinal layers.
Many of these cells were found in the inner plexiform layer (IPL),
whereas others were found within the amacrine cell layer of the INL
(Fig. 5j-l). To corroborate the findings of BrdU/Hu
labeling, we also found BrdU-labeled cells that expressed calretinin in
the amacrine cell layer of the INL (Fig. 5m-o). Calretinin
is a calcium-binding protein that is expressed by horizontal, amacrine,
and ganglion cells in the chick retina (Rogers, 1989 ; Rogers et al.,
1989 ; Ellis et al., 1991 ; Fischer et al., 1999 ). All
calretinin-expressing amacrine cells are Hu positive, but not all
Hu-expressing amacrine cells are calretinin positive (data not shown).
Cells double labeled for BrdU and Hu or calretinin were in peripheral
regions of the retina, 2.5 mm from the retinal margin. We detected
BrdU/Hu- or BrdU/calretinin-labeled cells only in retinas treated with three consecutive daily doses of insulin and FGF2, whereas other combinations of growth factors did not produce BrdU/Hu or
BrdU/calretinin-labeled cells. The expression of Hu or calretinin was
never observed in cells with the morphology of Müller glia, in
cells that expressed GS, or in BrdU-labeled cells 1 d after the
final injection of growth factors.

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Figure 5.
Some of the proliferating cells in growth
factor-treated retinas differentiate into Müller glia or neurons,
whereas most remain undifferentiated with continued expression of Pax6.
Vertical sections of the retina were labeled with antibodies to BrdU
(a, d, g,
j, m) and GS (b),
Pax6 (e), PKC (h), Hu
(k), or calretinin (n).
c, f, i, l,
o, Overlay images of the panels
immediately to their left. Arrows,
Double-labeled cells. GCL, ganglion cell layer. Scale
bars: i (for d-i), o (for
a-c, j-o), 50 µm.
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Figure 6.
Histogram illustrating the relative percentages of
cell types that were labeled with BrdU 14 d after the final
injection of growth factors. Retinas were obtained from eyes that
received three consecutive daily injections of insulin and FGF2. Cell
counts were made on vertical retinal sections that were immunolabeled
for BrdU and Pax6, GS, Hu, PKC, or visinin.
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At 12 d after the final injection of growth factors, we found some
cells that coexpressed Pax6 and GS in the INL (Fig.
7a-c) and ONL (Fig.
7d-f). Because Pax6 is expressed by horizontal and amacrine cells in the INL, we surveyed the percentage of Pax6-positive cells that expressed GS in the ONL. We found that 35.6 ± 11.1% of the Pax6-labeled cells in the ONL were colabeled with antibodies to
GS (83 cells surveyed from four individuals).

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Figure 7.
Twelve days after the final injection of insulin
and FGF2, cells in the outer and inner nuclear layers coexpress GS and
Pax6. Vertical sections of the retina were labeled with antibodies to
GS (a, d) and Pax6 (b,
e). Retinas were obtained from eyes 12 d after the
last of three consecutive daily injections of insulin and FGF2 starting
at P7. Arrows, Cells double labeled for GS and Pax6;
large arrowheads, cells that are labeled
for Pax6 alone. Scale bars: c (for a-c),
f (for d-f), 50 µm.
OPL, Outer plexiform layer.
|
|
Labeling for apoptotic cells
Because the response of Müller glia to insulin and FGF2 was
similar to that observed with neurotoxic damage, we tested whether intraocular injections of growth factors induced programmed cell death.
We probed for fragmented DNA by using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method
at 6 hr, 12 hr, 1 d, 2 d, or 3 d after the final
injection. One, two, or three consecutive daily applications of insulin
alone (Fig. 8a), FGF2 alone
(Fig. 8b), or insulin and FGF2 (Fig. 8c) did not
induce TUNEL-labeled nuclei at the retinal margin or in more central
regions of the retina at any time after the final injection. These
findings indicate that the proliferation and transdifferentiation of
Müller glia induced by exogenous insulin and FGF2 were not
secondary to damage to retinal neurons.

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Figure 8.
Apoptotic nuclei were not found in retinas treated
with growth factors. Vertical sections of the peripheral retina were
obtained from eyes that received three consecutive daily doses of
insulin alone (a), FGF2 alone
(b), or insulin and FGF2
(c). Apoptotic nuclei were not detected at any
time (6, 24, or 48 hr) after the final injection of insulin and FGF2.
GCL, Ganglion cell layer. Scale bars: b
(for a, b), c, 50 µm.
|
|
 |
DISCUSSION |
Here we report that exogenous insulin and FGF2 induce a response
in Müller glia that is similar to that observed after neurotoxic damage. We found that insulin and FGF2 (1) suppressed the expression of
GS by Müller glia, (2) stimulated Müller glia to express Pax6 and PCNA, (3) induced the accumulation of progenitor-like cells in
peripheral regions of the retina, (4) stimulated Müller glia to
re-enter the cell cycle within 2 d after the final injection of growth
factors, and (5) stimulated the production of new glia and neurons
within peripheral regions of the retina. These results are summarized
in Figure 9. All of these effects were
observed in the absence of retinal damage, as indicated by the absence of TUNEL-labeled cells.

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|
Figure 9.
Diagrams summarizing the responses of Müller
glia to intraocular injections of insulin and FGF2 and the region of
the retina in which the responses occur. The thickness of the retina is
not drawn to scale in the top panel, whereas the radial
diameter matches the scale bar (500 µm). CMZ, Ciliary
marginal zone; GCL, ganglion cell layer.
|
|
In response to insulin and FGF2, proliferating Müller glia
rapidly downregulate their expression of GS. Similarly, in
toxin-treated eyes, we have reported that BrdU labeling first appears
in GS-positive Müller glia that express neurofilament, and,
subsequently, these cells downregulate their expression of GS (Fischer
and Reh, 2001a ). In the current study, we found BrdU labeling in
GS-positive Müller glia at 6 hr but not 24 hr after treatment
with insulin and FGF2. This suggests that insulin and FGF2 rapidly
suppressed GS expression in proliferating Müller glia. Consistent
with findings presented here, a recent report by Kruchkova et al.
(2001) demonstrated that in explant cultures of chick retina, FGF2
decreases the expression of GS in Müller glia.
We propose that the proliferating progenitor-like cells that
accumulated in peripheral regions of the retina were derived from
Müller glia. Shortly after the last of three consecutive daily
injections of insulin and FGF2, we observed numerous GS-expressing Müller glia that accumulated BrdU and expressed PCNA and Pax6. Twenty-four hours after the final injection of growth factor, we found
that all of the Pax6-expressing cells that accumulated in the ONL
coexpressed Chx10, suggesting that the Pax6/GS-positive cells observed
~18 hr earlier had migrated into the ONL and turned on Chx10. This
result is reminiscent of the response of Müller glia in
toxin-damaged chick retina (Fischer and Reh, 2001a ). Two days after
toxin treatment, numerous Müller glia-derived cells express Pax6
and Chx10, these cells accumulate in the ONL and INL, and most of these
cells remain undifferentiated for at least several weeks with continued
expression of these transcription factors. Thus, it seems likely that
toxin treatment and growth factor injections induce the same response:
the generation of Pax/Chx10-positive progenitor-like cells from
Müller glia.
The significance of Pax6/GS-expressing cells remains uncertain. Twelve
days after the final injection of insulin and FGF2, we found that
approximately one-third of the Pax6-labeled cells in the ONL expressed
GS, whereas the majority of Pax6 cells did not. GS-expressing
Müller glia normally do not express Pax6 (Fig. 4); therefore, the
Pax6/GS-expressing cells may not be Müller glia. Aside from glial
cells, GS may be expressed at low levels by progenitor cells in the
embryonic chick retina. For example, Linser et al. (1997) found
that late during embryonic retinal development, proliferating
progenitors express some of the markers, including GS, of mature
Müller glia. Interestingly, Müller glia share a number of
markers with neural progenitors; these markers include glutamate
transporter (Shibata et al., 1997 ; Hartfuss et al., 2001 ), vimentin
(Noctor et al., 2002 ), glial fibrillary acidic protein (Levitt and
Rakic, 1980 ; Sancho-Tello et al., 1995 ), and nestin (in stressed glial
cells) (Lendahl et al., 1990 ; Close et al., 2000 ). Thus, the
Pax6/GS-expressing cells that we observed in growth factor-treated
retinas may be late-stage retinal progenitors. Alternatively, the
Pax6/GS-expressing cells that we observed in retinas treated with
insulin and FGF2 may be arrested in a transitional phenotype, because
the Pax6/GS-expressing cells were present ~2 weeks after the final
injection of growth factor. Furthermore, all Pax6-expressing cells in
the ONL coexpress the progenitor/bipolar cell-specific transcription
factor Chx10 (Fig. 3). Similar observations have been made in the chick
retina after NMDA-induced excitotoxicity, where numerous
Pax6/Chx10-expressing cells accumulate and remain within the retina for
several weeks after toxin treatment (Fischer and Reh, 2001a ).
Injections of growth factors caused the generation of some new neurons.
These new neurons in peripheral regions of the retina could have been
produced by progenitors at the retinal margin, quiescent stem cells
seeded within the retina, or Müller glia. It is unlikely that
newly generated neurons within the retina were derived from progenitors
at the retinal margin. The neurons were found between 0.2 and 2 mm away
from the retinal margin, well past the region where BrdU-labeled cells
derived from progenitors at the margin accumulate in retinas treated
with insulin alone (Fischer and Reh, 2000 ). Therefore, unless exogenous
insulin and FGF2 stimulated the lateral migration of newly generated
neurons derived from progenitors at the retinal margin, new neurons
within the peripheral retina were derived from a source intrinsic to the retina. We cannot exclude the possibility that quiescent stem cells
seeded within the retina produced new neurons in response to insulin
and FGF2. For example, quiescent stem cells seeded within the retina
have been identified in adult goldfish (Otteson et al., 2001 ) and
rainbow trout (Julian et al., 1998 ), and these stem cells give rise to
the well described rod progenitors of the teleost retina. Such
quiescent neural stem cells may also exist in the postnatal chicken
retina, but there is no evidence to support this hypothesis. We propose
that Müller glia are the source of new neurons in peripheral
retinal regions of growth factor-treated eyes. The findings presented
here are similar to data from acutely damaged chick retina, where
proliferating Müller glia give rise to progenitor-like cells and
new neurons (Fischer and Reh, 2001a ). The major difference between the
behavior of Müller glia in toxin-treated and growth
factor-treated retinas is the absence of cell death in retinas treated
with growth factors.
The combination of insulin and FGF2 was required to stimulate
Müller glia to dedifferentiate and become progenitor-like cells. The combination of these factors seems to be required for several different phenomena in the avian retina. In the postnatal chick eye, we
have reported recently that the combination of insulin and FGF2 induces
the production of ganglion cells from progenitors at the retinal margin
(Fischer et al., 2002 ), stimulates the transdifferentiation and
proliferation of pigmented cells in the pars plana (Fischer and Reh,
2001b ), stimulates Müller glia to transiently express neuronal
proteins (A. J. Fischer and T. A. Reh, unpublished
observations), and stimulates the nonpigmented epithelium of the
ciliary body to proliferate and produce neurons (Fischer and Reh,
unpublished observations). Data presented here also suggest that
sustained levels of insulin and FGF2 or repeated activation of
receptors are required to stimulate Müller glia, because a single
large dose of insulin and FGF2 had no effect. In comparison, EGF has been shown to stimulate the proliferation of Müller glia from the
rabbit retina in vitro (Scherer and Schnitzer, 1994 ),
intraocular injections of FGF2 stimulate the proliferation of
Müller glia in the rabbit retina (Lewis et al., 1992 ), and FGF1
and FGF2 have been shown to stimulate the proliferation of Müller
glia from the bovine retina in vitro (Mascarelli et al.,
1991 ). Together, these findings indicate that Müller glia in the
retina of warm-blooded vertebrates can be stimulated to re-enter the
cell cycle by exogenous growth factors.
It remains uncertain why Müller glia in peripheral regions of
retina are more responsive to insulin and FGF2 than Müller glia
in central regions of retina. During embryonic retinal histogenesis, Müller glia in central regions of the retina are produced before those in peripheral regions (Prada et al., 1991 ). The Müller glia
in peripheral regions of the retina may be less mature than those in
more central regions; thus, they may retain a greater degree of
plasticity in their phenotype. Alternatively, the Müller glia in
peripheral regions of the retina may express higher levels of receptors
for insulin and FGF2 or signal transduction machinery compared with
those glia found in more central regions of the retina. Consistent with
the notion that Müller glia in peripheral regions of the retina
are less mature, we have found that toxin-induced damage after P7
results in the proliferation and transdifferentation of Müller
glia only in peripheral regions of the retina; this region of
damage-responsive glia becomes increasingly confined to more peripheral
regions with increasing age, up to P30 (Fischer and Reh, unpublished
observations). A gradient of maturity for Müller glia in
peripheral regions of the retina may underlie the wave of glial
proliferation that begins at the retinal margin and spreads into the
peripheral retina. It is possible that relatively immature glia in more
peripheral regions of the retina re-enter the cell cycle before more
mature glial in more central regions of the retina. Alternatively,
growth factor-induced proliferation of glia near the retinal margin may
initiate a cascade of events that stimulates neighboring glia to
re-enter the cell cycle.
The ability of glia to generate new neurons has been addressed by
several recent studies. Recent reports have demonstrated that during
embryonic development, proliferating "radial glia" produce new
neurons and astrocytes (Malatesta et al., 2000 ; Noctor et al., 2001 ).
The findings of these studies suggest that the term radial glia should
be replaced with the term "radial progenitor." In addition, in the
adult mammalian forebrain, astrocyte-like cells may be the source of
neural stem cells in the subventricular zone (Doetsch et al., 1999 ;
Laywell et al., 2000 ; for review, see Alvarez-Buylla et al., 2000 ,
2001 ) and hippocampus (Seri et al., 2001 ). Furthermore, Heins et al.
(2002) have demonstrated that astrocytes in rodent cortex are capable
of generating new neurons with forced expression of Pax6. Together with
the findings presented in the current study, we propose that under
certain circumstances, proliferating glia are a potential source of
neurogenesis and neural regeneration in the CNS. The data presented
here demonstrate that new neurons can be derived from glia without
destroying pre-existing neurons. Because damage is not required to
stimulate neurogenesis from Müller glia, we propose that insulin
and FGF2 may be used to stimulate neural regeneration from Müller
glia in retinas that have suffered cell losses from progressive
degenerative phenomenon.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
Received May 31, 2002; revised Aug. 12, 2002; accepted Aug. 23, 2002.
This work was supported by fellowships from the Alberta Heritage
Foundation for Medical Research and the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research (A.J.F.) and by National Institutes of Health Grant R01
EY13475 and National Science Foundation Grant 1BN 9604843 (T.A.R.). We
thank Josh Friedland-Little for providing expert technical assistance.
We also thank Drs. D. Raible and R. Kubota for their comments that
helped to contribute to the final form of this manuscript. The Pax6 and
BrdU antibodies developed by Drs. A. Kawakami and S. J. Kaufman,
respectively, were obtained from the Developmental Studies Hybridoma
Bank developed under the auspices of the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development and maintained by the Department of
Biological Sciences, University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa).
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Thomas A. Reh, Department of
Biological Structure, University of Washington, Box 357420, Seattle, WA
98195. E-mail: tomreh{at}u.washington.edu.
 |
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J. Goolsby, M. C. Marty, D. Heletz, J. Chiappelli, G. Tashko, D. Yarnell, P. S. Fishman, S. Dhib-Jalbut, C. T. Bever Jr., B. Pessac, et al.
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