SOX2 haploinsufficiency promotes impaired vision at advanced age

Age-related vision loss has been associated with degeneration of the retina and decline in Muller glia cell activity. Sox2 is a critical transcription factor for the development and maintenance of the mammalian retina. Here we determined the role of Sox2 in retinal aging. We observed a decline in the number of Sox2-positive Muller, amacrine and ganglion cells with age. We also explored the impact of Sox2 haploinsufficiency (Sox2GFP) on the activity of Muller glia cells and vision loss with age. Reduction of Sox2-positive cells promoted impaired Muller glia cell function at advanced age of Sox2GFP. These findings correlated with a significant decline in electroretinographic response in Sox2 haploinsufficient mice. Together, these results indicate that Sox2 is required for the maintenance of the transmission of visual information from cones and rods, and suggest that decline in Sox2 expression is responsible for retinal cell aging and age-related vision loss.