title: Robust neural integration from retinal transplants in mice deficient in GFAP and vimentin.
abstract: With recent progress in neuroscience and stem-cell research, neural transplantation has emerged as a promising therapy for treating CNS diseases. The success of transplantation has been limited, however, by the restricted ability of neural implants to survive and establish neuronal connections with the host. Little is known about the mechanisms responsible for this failure. Neural implantation triggers reactive gliosis, a process accompanied by upregulation of intermediate filaments in astrocytes and formation of astroglial scar tissue. Here we show that the retinas of adult mice deficient in glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin, and consequently lacking intermediate filaments in reactive astrocytes and Müller cells, provide a permissive environment for grafted neurons to migrate and extend neurites. The transplanted cells integrated robustly into the host retina with distinct neuronal identity and appropriate neuronal projections. Our results indicate an essential role for reactive astroglial cells in preventing neural graft integration after transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Schepens Eye Research Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 USA.
authors.forename: Reiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kinouchi
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ulrika
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wilhelmsson
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lundkvist
authors.forename: Milos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pekny
authors.forename: Dong Feng
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000172:deficiency*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014746:Vimentin / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D014746:Vimentin