RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Photoreceptor Protection by Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (MANF) JF eneuro JO eNeuro FD Society for Neuroscience SP ENEURO.0109-18.2018 DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0109-18.2018 VO 5 IS 2 A1 Jianmin Lu A1 Lingyu Luo A1 Deqiang Huang A1 Xian Liu A1 Xin Xia A1 Zhengying Wang A1 Byron L. Lam A1 Jinglin Yi A1 Rong Wen A1 Yiwen Li YR 2018 UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/5/2/ENEURO.0109-18.2018.abstract AB Retinal degenerations are a major cause of vision impairment and blindness. Neuroprotective therapy is a promising therapeutic strategy for retinal degenerative diseases. We investigated a novel neurotrophic factor mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) in the retina. MANF is expressed at a high level during postnatal development and the expression declines to a lower level as the retina matures. Müller cells are the major cells expressing MANF. It is also found in the retinal ganglion cells, in the inner nuclear layer (INL) neurons, and in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Intravitreal injection of recombinant human (rh)MANF significantly protected rod and cone photoreceptors in rats carrying the rhodopsin S334ter mutation, and preserved electroretinograms (ERGs) in the rd10 (Pde6brd10/rd10) mice. These results indicate that MANF is a native protein in the retina and is a potent neurotrophic factor for photoreceptor protection.