A11
Determinants and dynamics of cell fate remodelling in the retina
Principal Investigators:
Nervous system function is dependent on having appropriate circuit composition. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms by which excitatory and inhibitory circuit elements are generated, differentiate and integrate into forming networks. We use the genetically and optically accessible zebrafish retina to investigate how bipolar (excitatory) and amacrine cell (inhibitory) interneurons acquire their fate and probe the extent to which they can be re-programmed to adopt alternate fates. We will additionally explore the mechanisms that permit regenerative Müller cells to replace specific interneuron populations lost to injury and and how in situ re-programming could contribute to such replacement.