Outer retinal degenerations, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are
characterized by photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy. In these
blinding diseases, macrophages accumulate at atrophic sites, but their ontogeny and niche
specialization remain poorly understood, especially in humans. We uncovered a unique
profile of microglia, marked by galectin-3 upregulation, at atrophic sites in mouse models of
retinal degeneration and human AMD. In disease models, conditional deletion of galectin-3 …

Degenerative diseases of the outer retina, including age-related macular degeneration
(AMD), are characterized by atrophy of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium
(RPE). In these blinding diseases, macrophages are known to accumulate ectopically at
sites of atrophy, but their ontogeny and functional specialization within this atrophic niche
remain poorly understood, especially in the human context. Here, we uncovered a
transcriptionally unique profile of microglia, marked by galectin-3 upregulation, at atrophic …