Breakthrough with the apple snail – a possible path to treating eye diseases
The apple snail's eye is remarkably similar to that of a human, but it has an advantage we can only envy—it can fully regenerate after damage or amputation. Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have demonstrated that this species could become a new model for research on sensory repair. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, could help develop therapies for conditions such as macular degeneration.
A team led by Dr. Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, president and scientific director of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, has described in Nature Communications the extraordinary abilities of the apple snail ( Pomacea canaliculata ). This mollusk has camera-like eyes—with a lens, cornea, and retina—almost identical to those of vertebrates, including humans. The difference is crucial: in the event of injury, the snail can regenerate the entire organ.
– “Our eyes play an extremely important role in perceiving the environment, but if they are damaged, they cannot regenerate,” reminded Alice Accorsi, the first author of the study, currently an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis.
The process of eye reconstruction in the snail lasts 28 days and proceeds in four steps: from wound healing, through the formation of cell mass, the formation of the lens and retina, to the maturation of all structures.
In vertebrates, including humans, only the first stage—wound healing—occurs. Researchers want to understand at what stage the snail and vertebrate pathways diverge and what mechanisms allow mollusks to "switch" their bodies into full regeneration mode.
A key discovery was the confirmation of the presence of the pax6 gene in the apple snail. This gene is known to be involved in eye development in vertebrates and fruit flies.
“We have shown for the first time that apple snails not only possess pax6, but also that this gene is essential for the development of their eyes,” Accorsi said.
By optimizing CRISPR-Cas9 technology, scientists disabled this gene in snails. The newly created line of animals was healthy, but… completely eyeless.
“There were two important moments when I felt this was something that could have significance for the entire scientific community,” Sánchez Alvarado admitted. “The first was the discovery that the snail eye is like a human eye. The second was observing tiny eyeless embryos after the pax6 gene was knocked out.”
Experts emphasize that until now, research on molluscs has lacked a species that could be easily genetically modified.
“This work demonstrates the potential of apple snails as a new system that could be used to uncover the genetic mechanisms behind mollusc development,” commented Professor Angus Davison from the University of Nottingham.
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