2023-08-28 00:19:15
A team from the Cellular Neurobiology Research Unit at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) has discovered a key mechanism in the growth of nerve cells that are essential for mediating binocular vision, which allows us to see the world in 3D. The research unit is headed by the Dr Michel CayouetteFull Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Montreal.
The miracle of human vision in 3D
To see the world in 3D, our eyes look at an object from two components of the retina, a thin layer of tissue at the back of the eyes that transforms light into biological signals. The overlap of these two fields of view allows us to determine the depth, distance and speed of an object and to make quick, sometimes life-saving decisions.
Proper growth of the nerves between the eye and the brain is crucial for this process. When these nerve cells, called “retinal ganglion cells,” send projections to the brain through the optic nerve, they stay on the same side or pass to the other half of the brain. It is the balance of these projections that allows us to see the world in three dimensions, but how this process is controlled remains poorly understood. The work of the IRCM group published in the journal Cell Reports constitutes an important advance in solving this mystery.
A gene named “Pou3f1”
Thomas Brown, Christine Jolicœur et Michel Cayouette
Credit: IRCM
In this study, the team of scientists uncovered a gene named ‘Pou3f1’ which acts as a major regulator controlling the expression of dozens of other genes which together give the complete instructions allowing retinal ganglion cells to send projections that cross the opposite hemisphere of the brain. Furthermore, the team showed that expression of Pou3f1 in retinal stem cells is sufficient to force them to become retinal ganglion cells sending projections to the optic nerve.
“Our work has identified the Pou3f1 gene as a critical regulator of processes underlying binocular vision in mammals and as a potential candidate for regeneration and repair of the visual system,” said PhD student Thomas Brown. in the laboratory of Dr. Cayouette and co-author of the study with Michel Fries, a former student of the group.
“Nerves are information conduits, and if they cannot send information to the appropriate area of the brain, serious problems can occur, as seen in blinding eye diseases such as glaucoma,” added Christine Jolicœur, senior research assistant within the team and co-author of the study.
“Our work helps to understand how the road map of visual information is constructed and sheds light on how nerves reach the right area of the brain, essential data if we want to develop regenerative approaches for various neurodegenerative diseases. “, concluded Dr. Cayouette.
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