A fundamental role for division orientation in progenitor output driving cortical and retinal growth is revealed.

Temporal patterning of retinal progenitor cells governs the sequential generation of retinal cell types, with gliogenesis occurring late in development. Sox8 and Sox9, members of the SoxE transcription factor family, are highly expressed in late-stage retinal progenitor cells and mature Müller glia, yet their functional roles remain incompletely defined. Here we employed gain- and loss-of-function approaches, single-cell multiomic profiling, and injury models to investigate Sox8/9 function. Overexpression of SOX8 and/or SOX9 in early-stage retinal progenitor cells suppressed early-born cell fates and promoted photoreceptor generation, consistent with a role in late-stage temporal identity. Conversely, conditional deletion of Sox8 and/or Sox9 in late-stage progenitors did not impair Müller glia specification, but caused radial displacement of Müller glia nuclei into the outer retina and modest changes in glial gene expression. Loss of Sox8/9 in mature Müller glia modestly increased proliferation post-injury without inducing neurogenic competence. These findings suggest that Sox8/9 are dispensable for gliogenesis and repression of neurogenic competence, but are essential for proper laminar positioning and maturation of retinal Müller glia. ### Competing Interest Statement S.B. is a cofounder, shareholder, and scientific advisory board member of CDI Labs LLC, and receives research support from Genentech. National Eye Institute, https://ror.org/03wkg3b53, R01EY036173

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are associated with metabolic dysregulation. While astrocytes are integral to cerebral metabolism, their molecular and functional changes in ASD are poorly known. Using...

The regulatory codes controlling vertebrate retinal gene expression have been conserved over more than half a billion years.

Nature Communications - The authors identify pathogenic variants in the SMARCA1 gene as the cause of a variable neurodevelopmental disorder. Mouse studies suggest diverse genetic mechanisms related...

Circadian photoentrainment depends on intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which convey environmental light information to th…

Nature Communications - This study reveals that graded expression of the transcription factor BRN3B fine-tunes the identity and function of melanopsin-expressing ipRGC subtypes in the retina....

The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway is essential for the patterning, growth, and morphogenesis of many tissues. During early eye development, Shh is critical for the formation of the two optic ...

Dr. Joel Miesfeld’s lab studies the mechanisms behind retinal ganglion cells to better understand vision development.

TET enzymes remove DNA methylation markers, but the role of this process in retinal development is not clear. This study shows that these enzymes are required for photoreceptor cells to initiate the g...

Intracortical circuits, including long-range callosal projections, are crucial for information processing. The development of neuronal connectivity in the cerebral cortex is contingent on ordered emer...

The Pax2 transcription factor is activated uniformly in the optic vesicle/cup, but becomes progressively restricted to the forming optic disc and stalk. In the eye, it is not known how Pax2 expression...

Evolutionary adaptation to diurnal vision in ground squirrels has led to the development of a cone-dominant retina, in stark contrast to the rod-dominant retinas of most mammals. The molecular mechani...

Opportunity for LSI PHD studentship – starting in September 2025 or January 2026 PhD Studentship applications will open on 1st...

Your Columbia is your opportunity to be a part of the unparalleled research, education, and clinical care that takes place every day at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. It’s a potent and imp...

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).