Figure 6.

Rod and cone photoreceptors demonstrate long-term survival in the treated eye of treated animal 1 at 10.5 months post treatment

(A–C) At 10.5 MP treatment, a thick layer of photoreceptors, whose outer segments (marked with “+”) are labeled with peripherin-2 (PRPH2), are readily observed in the treated region of the treated eye (A, arrow), but not in regions that were not transduced by the viral vector (A, arrowhead). In addition, STX3 localizes to the photoreceptor inner segments and synaptic layer, as expected, in the treated region of the treated eye (C), but not in untreated regions of the same eye (B). In (C), the outer segments are marked with “+,” and the inner segments with “∗.” (D–F) Numerous cones, identified by cone-specific transducin subunit GNAT2, are observed in the treated region of the treated eye (D, arrow), but not in untreated regions (D, arrowhead, and E). Radially projected GFAP-positive filaments, indicative of activated Muller glia, span the untreated regions of the retina (D, arrowhead, and E), but are absent or nearly absent in the treated region of the same eye (D, arrow, and F). Scale bars, 500 μm in (A) and (D), and 100 μm in (B), (C), (E), and (F).