title: Expression of receptors for glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurturin in the inner blood-retinal barrier of rats.
abstract: The retina is protected from somatic circulation by the blood-retinal barrrier (BRB) composed of tight junctions between retinal vascular endothelial cells (the inner BRB) and those between retinal pigment epithelial cells (the outer BRB). Our recent studies showed that glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) secreted from astrocytes regulates the permeability of the BBB. In the present study, we immunohistochemically examined the expression of GDNF, neurturin (NTN) and their receptors, GFRalpha1 for GDNF and GFRalpha2 for NTN, because the capillaries of the inner BRB show specialization very similar to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). GDNF and NTN were detected in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells, including Müller cells. GFRalpha1 and GFRalpha2 were localized in von Willebrand factor-positive cells. GDNF and NTN enhanced the barrier function of endothelial cells derived from porcine brain cortex. These results strongly suggest that the barrier function of the BRB is regulated by GDNF and NTN secreted from glial cells, like the BBB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Igarashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Utsumi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyajima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gotoh
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuwahara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tobioka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sawada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D001813:Blood-Retinal Barrier; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D051101:Neurturin; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C494992:Gfra2 protein, rat; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D051101:Neurturin; C495057:Nrtn protein, rat; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila