Events

 Investigating photoreceptor specialisations and breakdown through fish models

Abstract: Vision is dependent on the appropriate development, arrangement, and maintenance of the light-detecting photoreceptor cells. Despite decades of study, it is still unclear how distinct photoreceptor organisations (termed mosaics) impact vision in diverse fish species. Photoreceptor proportion and mosaic organisation influences disease manifestation, but the mechanisms that underlie the association between photoreceptor mosaic structure and age-related degradation are ambiguous. The turquoise killifish (N. furzeri) is an emerging model of accelerated ageing which can be utilised to investigate how photoreceptor specialisations contribute to visual function across species and also assess age-related deterioration. I determined that the turquoise killifish has photoreceptor proportions akin to the human central retina, and distinct photoreceptor topology compared to the commonly used zebrafish model. I also observed that turquoise killifish develop many of the hallmark age-related retinal presentations seen in humans; thus, they serve as a naturally occurring model of ageing retinal disease that can be used to determine why photoreceptors break down over time. My work will investigate how vision differs between fish species as a consequence of their respective photoreceptor mosaics, as well as identify pathomechanisms underlying age-related photoreceptor deterioration.