Fig. 1.

Regenerative neutrophils stimulate optic nerve repair. Optic nerve crush injury results in neuronal death that is rescued by intraocular zymosan administration. This combination of injury and inflammation triggers the premature release of immature neutrophils from the bone marrow (1). These neutrophils (Ly6G^lowCD101^low-neg) are recruited to the eye in a CXCR2-independent manner (2) where they receive signals that stimulate the acquisition of a regenerative phenotype (3). These regenerative neutrophils secrete repair factors, including nerve growth factors (NGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), that stimulate retinal ganglion cell survival and axon regeneration (4). Created with BioRender.com