Ludwig, A., S. Mayerl, Y. Gao, X. Zhao, C. Bacig, A. Fernandez, and D. Gamm. Synapse Formation and in Vitro Synaptic Tracing in HPSC-Derived Retinal Neurons. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 2021, p. Epub Full Text.
Abstract
Purpose
Synapses—the basic unit of neuron function—are a central challenge of retinal cell replacement therapies for blinding eye disorders. Synapse formation within human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived retinal organoids (ROs) has been observed by electron microscopy, but the capacity for de novo synaptogenesis among hPSC-derived retinal neurons (RNs) following isolation from ROs has not been definitively established. In this study, we validated a synaptic tracing assay to screen for functional synapses in vitro among dissociated hPSC-RN cultures.