Damage-induced senescent immune cells regulate regeneration of the zebrafish retina

Zebrafish spontaneously regenerate their retina in response to damage through the action of Müller glia. Even though Müller glia (MG) are conserved in higher vertebrates, the capacity to regenerate retinal damage is lost. Recent work has focused on the regulation of inflammation during tissue regeneration with precise temporal roles for macrophages and microglia. Senescent cells that have withdrawn from the cell cycle have mostly been implicated in aging, but are still metabolically active, releasing proinflammatory signaling molecules as part of the Senescence Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP). Here, we discover that in response to retinal damage, a subset of cells expressing markers of microglia/macrophages also express markers of senescence. These cells display a temporal pattern of appearance and clearance during retina regeneration. Premature removal of senescent cells by senolytic treatment led to a decrease in proliferation and incomplete repair of the ganglion cell layer after NMDA damage. Our results demonstrate a role for modulation of senescent cell responses to balance inflammation, regeneration, plasticity, and repair as opposed to fibrosis and scarring.