title: Identification of ganglion cell neurites in human subretinal and epiretinal membranes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether neural elements are present in subretinal and epiretinal proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) membranes as well as in diabetic, fibrovascular membranes removed from patients during vitrectomy surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Human subretinal and epiretinal membranes of varying durations were immunolabelled with different combinations of antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein, vimentin, neurofilament protein and laminin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-neurofilament-labelled neurites from presumptive ganglion cells were frequently found in epiretinal membranes and occasionally found in subretinal membranes. In addition, the neurites were only observed in regions that also contained glial processes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data demonstrate that neuronal processes are commonly found in human peri-retinal cellular membranes similar to that demonstrated in animal models. These data also suggest that glial cells growing out of the neural retina form a permissive substrate for neurite growth and thus may hold clues to factors that support this growth.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. g_lewis@lifesci.ucsb.edu
authors.forename: Geoffrey P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Kellen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Betts
authors.forename: Charanjit S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Sethi
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Charteris
authors.forename: Sarit Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lesnik-Oberstein
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Avery
authors.forename: Steven K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D019773:Epiretinal Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007797:Laminin / Q000378:metabolism; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D016501:Neurites / Q000473:pathology*; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism; D014821:Vitrectomy
chemical_list: D005136:Eye Proteins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D007797:Laminin; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D014746:Vimentin