Rat retinal Müller cells express Thy-1 following neuronal cell death.
In the normal rat retina the Thy-1 antigen is a specific marker of ganglion cells, but degeneration of ganglion cells in vivo does not remove completely the expression of Thy-1 in the retina. To reconcile these differences we have postulated that ganglion cell death could induce a glial response including the expression of Thy-1 in Müller cells, the main glial cell type in the retina. Using immunocytochemistry, we have shown that pure cultures of Müller cells were strongly labelled with antibodies against Thy-1. PCR amplification of cDNA reverse transcribed from Müller cell RNA indicated the presence of Thy-1 transcripts. Double labelling experiments with anti-Thy1 and anti-glutamine synthetase, a marker of Müller cells, indicated the presence of both antigens in the same cells. Although Müller cells expressed Thy-1 mRNA and protein when cultured in the absence of neuronal cells, when co-cultured with retinal neurons they were not labelled with antibodies against Thy-1. Our results suggest that Thy-1 is expressed by Müller cells following loss of retinal neurons. Thy-1 may have an important function during glial response to neuron death in retina.
Dabin
I
I
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8061, USA.
Barnstable
C J
CJ
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D016923:Cell Death; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015870:Gene Expression; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
D000906:Antibodies; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens