Reduced expression of the adherens junction protein cadherin-5 in a diabetic retina.
OBJECTIVE
Transvascular leakage occurs in diabetic retinopathy. The tight junction proteins occludin and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and adherens junction protein cadherin-5 are critical to the maintenance of endothelial barrier. We report a comparison of junction protein expression in the normal and diabetic retina.


METHODS
Case report. Postmortem retinal cryosections were prepared from the left eye of a 73-year-old woman with diabetic retinopathy. Cryosections were immunostained for cadherin-5, occludin, and ZO-1 and compared with retinal cryosections from the right eye of a 72-year-old man with no progression of retinal disease.


RESULTS
Immunofluorescence showed positive retinal vessel staining for occludin and ZO-1 in both eyes and cadherin-5 in the normal eye but reduced cadherin-5 staining in the retinal vessels of the diabetic eye.


CONCLUSIONS
Increases in transvascular leakage observed in diabetic retinal vasculature may be associated with reduction in the expression of the critical adherens junction protein, cadherin-5.
Davidson
M K
MK
Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. mari.davidson@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu
Russ
P K
PK
Glick
G G
GG
Hoffman
L H
LH
Chang
M S
MS
Haselton
F R
FR
D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD; D001813:Blood-Retinal Barrier; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002199:Capillary Permeability; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000378:metabolism*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D062793:Occludin; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000378:metabolism*; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; D000099152:Cadherin 5
D015703:Antigens, CD; D015820:Cadherins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D062793:Occludin; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; D000099152:Cadherin 5; C568985:OCLN protein, human; C569042:TJP1 protein, human