Single cell transcriptomic analysis reveals pathogenic cell heterogeneity and candidate inflammatory-associated markers in STZ-induced diabetic mouse retina - PubMed
2 days ago
- #Single-Cell Transcriptomics
- #Diabetic Retinopathy
- #Müller Glia
- The study used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze retinal cells in STZ-induced diabetic mice, revealing heterogeneity in Müller glial cells.
- Müller glia showed the strongest transcriptional changes among retinal cell types under diabetic stress, indicating their high responsiveness.
- Four distinct Müller glial subpopulations were identified, with one substate enriched for photoreceptor-associated transcripts in diabetic conditions.
- Functional enrichment linked different Müller subclusters to specific biological processes, all sharing activation of inflammatory-response programs.
- Cebpb was highlighted as a candidate inflammation-associated factor, and co-expression networks identified modules related to stress, angiogenesis, and inflammation.
- Protein-protein interaction analysis prioritized Junb as a key regulatory hub, and Western blot confirmed altered JUNB and CEBPB protein levels in diabetic retinas.
- Findings suggest Müller glia play an active role in diabetic retinal remodeling through inflammatory and structural programs, aiding future research into diabetic retinopathy pathology.