title: Expression and function of receptors for advanced glycation end products in bovine corneal endothelial cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The corneal endothelium is a target of the aging process. This study was undertaken to reveal the relationship between corneal endothelial cell (CEC) death and the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), by investigating the possible mechanism of accumulation of AGE in CECs and its effects on CEC death.
  
  
  METHODS
  First, the in vivo expression of the receptor was investigated for AGE (RAGE) and galectin-3, both receptors for AGE, at both the mRNA and protein levels. Second, AGEs were added to the culture media of the cultured CECs, and the uptake of AGEs, the generation of reactive oxygen species, and the induction of apoptosis were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR demonstrated that both RAGE and galectin-3 were expressed in bovine CECs. After administration of AGE-modified bovine serum albumin to the culture medium, uptake of AGE was observed in the cytoplasm of the cultured bovine CECs. In addition, with increasing concentration of AGEs, the generation of reactive oxygen and the number of apoptotic cells also increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show that the accumulation of AGEs in CECs induced apoptosis, in part, by increasing cellular oxidative stress. The accumulation of AGEs in the CECs of elderly patients may be involved in the loss of CECs during the aging process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaji
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oshika
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Sumiyoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Adamis
authors.forename: Ryoji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Seiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horiuchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism*; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D037502:Galectin 3; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D011975:Receptors, Mitogen; C081628:advanced glycation end products-bovine serum albumin; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine