BMP-induced reprograming of the retina into RPE requires WNT signalling in the developing chick optic cup

In vertebrates, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors of the neural retina (NR) comprise a functional unit required for vision. During vertebrate eye development, a conversion of the RPE into NR can be induced by growth factors in vivo at optic cup stages, but the reverse process, the conversion of NR tissue into RPE has not been reported. Here, we show that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) signalling can reprogram the NR into RPE at optic cup stages in chick. Shortly after BMP application, expression of Microphthalmia associated transcription factor (Mitf) is induced in the NR and selective cell death on the basal side of the NR induces an RPE-like morphology. The newly induced RPE differentiates and expresses Melanosomalmatrix protein 115 (Mmp115) and RPE65. BMP-induced Wnt2b expression is observed in regions of the NR that become pigmented. Loss of function studies show that conversion of the NR into RPE requires both BMP and WNT signalling. Simultanousely to the appearance of ectopic RPE tissue, BMP application induced ectopic retinal tissue in the proximal RPE of the chick optic cup. The newly induced NR is multi-layered and expresses the Visual segment homeobox-containing gene (Vsx2) and the ganglion- and photoreceptor cell markers Brn3α and Visinin are detected. Our results show that high BMP concentrations are required to induce the conversion of NR into RPE, while low BMP concentrations can still induce transdifferentiation of the RPE into NR. This knowledge may contribute to the development of efficient standardized protocols for RPE- and NR generation for cell replacement therapies.