title: Lens epithelium supports axonal regeneration of retinal ganglion cells in a coculture model in vitro.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the lens epithelium influences the survival or axonal growth of regenerating retinal ganglion cells. The optic nerves of adult albino rats were injured in order to induce axonal regeneration, and axon growth was then studied in retinal explants in the presence of cocultivated lens capsules carrying living epithelial cells. In the first series of experiments, cocultivation of retinal explants with lens epithelium in immediate proximity resulted in penetration of fibers into the lens epithelium, indicating that it supported axonal growth. In the second series of experiments, co-explants were placed 0.5-1.0mm from each other. The numbers of outgrowing retinal axons were determined both with respect to the retinal eccentricity and the topological relationship with the lenticular co-explant. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test was used to determine if the numbers of axons differed significantly between four regions of the explants. Significantly more axons grew out from the retinal edge facing the lenticular explant than from its opposite side, indicating that the lens epithelium supports axon growth. The numbers of surviving retinal ganglion cells in culture were determined after retrograde prelabelling with a neuroanatomical tracer. The number of fluorescent ganglion cells within the retinal explants did not significantly differ between the groups (Mann-Whitney test). These findings indicate that the lens epithelium influences both the amount of axonal regeneration and the direction of growth without affecting the survival rate of retinal ganglion cells in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Ophthalmology, Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IZKF), School of Medicine, University Eye Hospital Münster, Domagkstr. 15, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stupp
authors.forename: Mitrofanis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pavlidis
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Busse
authors.forename: Solon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thanos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002452:Cell Count; D002470:Cell Survival; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D023421:Models, Animal; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000502:physiology*