Yaphaploinsufficiency leads to Müller cell dysfunction and late-onset cone dystrophy

Abstract

Main PointsThis study finds unsuspected dynamics of YAP compensatory mechanisms in the retina of Yap +/mice Yap haploinsufficiency results in Müller glia dysfunction in aged mice, leading to lateonset cone dystrophy Post-natal Aged TAZ compensatory mechanism No TAZ compensatory mechanism Müller cell homeostasis dysfunction Delayed cell cycle exit Retinal progenitors Cone dystrophy Yap haploinsufficiency Taz upregulation Yap +/-Yap +/- ABSTRACTHippo signalling regulates eye growth during embryogenesis through its effectors YAP and TAZ. Taking advantage of a Yap heterozygous mouse line, we here sought to examine its function in adult neural retina, where YAP expression is restricted to Müller glia. We first discovered an unexpected temporal dynamic of gene compensation. At post-natal stages, Taz upregulation occurs, leading to a gain of function-like phenotype characterized by EGFR signalling potentiation and delayed cell cycle exit of retinal progenitors. In contrast, Yap +/adult retinas no longer exhibit TAZ-dependent dosage compensation. In this context, Yap haploinsufficiency in aged individuals results in Müller glia dysfunction, late-onset cone degeneration and reduced cone-mediated visual response. Alteration of glial homeostasis and altered patterns of cone opsins were also observed in Müller cell specific conditional Yap knockout mice. Together, this study highlights a novel YAP function in Müller cells for the maintenance of retinal tissue homeostasis and the preservation of cone integrity. It also suggests that YAP haploinsufficiency should be considered and explored as a cause of cone dystrophies in human. mRNA level relative to control kDA 25 AQP4 Kir4.1 37 50 8 Mo 12 Mo Control Yap +/-Yap +/-Control α-Tub GS GS B 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 * Control Yap CKO YAP level of expression (relative to control)