In their report,
Tian et al.
1 describe in detail the source, behavior, and function of oligodendrocytes (OLs) in zebrafish retina. This study uses two interesting models, optic nerve transplantation and whole eyeball transplantation, to investigate the origin and behavior of OLs in the zebrafish retina. Optic nerve transplantation makes observing single green fluorescent protein (GFP)–labeled OL possible, while whole eyeball transplantation directly proves the extraocular source of OLs. These two models also provide some cues and tools for the study of neural repair. Whole eyeball transplantation in mammals is almost impossible and, to our knowledge, has never been successful before.
2 After optic nerve injury, adult mammals cannot regenerate their optic nerves properly and the retinal ganglion cells die.
3 What's more, the adequate circulation of blood to the transplanted eye also is an important hurdle to overcome for the entire mammalian eyeball transplantation. Given that whole eyeball transplantation can be performed successfully in zebrafish as reported in this study, the zebrafish could provide a great value to the whole eyeball transplantation research, which may provide some reference to the treatment of human eye diseases. However, further investigations are required to study the mechanism of optic nerve transplantation and whole eyeball transplantation. In addition, this methodology also must be explored and confirmed by other groups. There still is a long way to go to answer all the questions concerning optic nerve and whole eyeball transplantation.