Multipotent retinal progenitors express developmental markers, differentiate into retinal neurons, and preserve light-mediated behavior.
OBJECTIVE
To use progenitor cells isolated from the neural retina for transplantation studies in mice with retinal degeneration.


METHODS
Retinal progenitor cells from postnatal day 1 green fluorescent protein-transgenic mice were isolated and characterized. These cells can be expanded greatly in culture and express markers characteristic of neural progenitor cells and/or retinal development.


RESULTS
After they were grafted to the degenerating retina of mature mice, a subset of the retinal progenitor cells developed into mature neurons, including presumptive photoreceptors expressing recoverin, rhodopsin, or cone opsin. In rho-/- hosts, there was rescue of cells in the outer nuclear layer (ONL), along with widespread integration of donor cells into the inner retina, and recipient mice showed improved light-mediated behavior compared with control animals.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings have implications for the treatment of retinal degeneration, in which neuronal replacement and photoreceptor rescue are major therapeutic goals.
Klassen
Henry J
HJ
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Ng
Tat Fong
TF
Kurimoto
Yasuo
Y
Kirov
Ivan
I
Shatos
Marie
M
Coffey
Peter
P
Young
Michael J
MJ
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002469:Cell Separation; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051603:Recoverin; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000378:metabolism; D017299:Rod Opsins / Q000378:metabolism; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*
D015415:Biomarkers; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; C496732:Rcvrn protein, mouse; D017299:Rod Opsins; D051603:Recoverin; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D012243:Rhodopsin