Abstract:

Müller cells: The neglected neighbor: Müller cells constitute the majority of retinal glial cells and offer more alternating functions than any other cell of the retina. Uniquely, Müller cells cover the complete thickness of the retina, and their roles therefore differ correspondingly to the retinal segment in which they are located. In the inner retina, Müller cells are crucial in taking up toxic molecules, such as excessive glutamate from the synapses between bipolar cells and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), thereby preventing glutamate-induced excitoxic RGC death. Additionally, Müller cells are crucial in maintaining ion balances and have also been suggested to secrete essential neuroprotective factors as well as to buffer energy sources to the neighboring cells. Despite being over looked for decades Müller cells have now been proven essential in overall retinal maintenance, and increasing attention and acknowledgement has been attributed to their mere presence and function.