The activities of host and graft glial cells following retinal transplantation into the lesioned adult rat eye: developmental expression of glial markers.
We have studied the time course of the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S-100 developmentally regulated proteins in host and graft tissue after transplantation of rat E15 retina to retinal lesion sites of adult rat hosts. Host Müller cell reactivity (GFAP staining) appeared in the peripheral retina 4.5 h after the lesion apparently in response to axotomy of the retinal ganglion cells, and then spread out in a declining wave over the whole dorsoventral extent of the retina within 1 day. From 2 days after transplantation, host glial cells appeared to migrate into the graft along the open host/graft interface, graft surfaces and blood vessels (at 8 days). Intrinsic graft glial cells (mostly Müller cells) developed approximately according to a normal time-table, but became partially reactive at 3 weeks and completely reactive at 5 weeks after transplantation. However, this reactivity seemed to have no effect on the formation of retinal laminae. Bipolar graft Müller cells were found most frequently in graft rosettes, forming an external limiting membrane around receptor inner segments, but no continuous inner limiting membrane on the vitreal surface. This was probably due to the disruption of the inner limiting membrane during transplantation, the lack or scarcity of ganglion cells or the random distribution of astrocytes in the graft.
Seiler
M
M
Department of Anatomy, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.
Turner
J E
JE
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000637:transplantation*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein