Transcriptome Analysis Did Not Show Endogenous Stem Cell Characteristics in Murine Lgr5 Retinal Cells.

Lgr5, an intestinal adult stem cell marker, was recently also found in neuronal tissues. We investigated whether retinal Lgr5 cells express properties of neural stem cells (NSC) and/or of differentiated interneurons during retinal development. RNA was isolated from Lgr5 and Lgr5 populations from postnatal day 5 (PN5) and adult retinas of Lgr5 knock-in mice sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).

HtrA1 Mediated Intracellular Effects on Tubulin Using a Polarized RPE Disease Model.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss. The protein HtrA1 is enriched in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells isolated from AMD patients and in drusen deposits. However, it is poorly understood how increased levels of HtrA1 affect the physiological function of the RPE at the intracellular level.

Müller Glia Cell Activation in a Laser-induced Retinal Degeneration and Regeneration Model in Zebrafish.

A fascinating difference between teleost and mammals is the lifelong potential of the teleost retina for retinal neurogenesis and regeneration after severe damage. Investigating the regeneration pathways in zebrafish might bring new insights to develop innovative strategies for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases in mammals. Herein, we focused on the induction of a focal lesion to the outer retina in adult zebrafish by means of a 532 nm diode laser.

Retinal differentiation of human bone marrow-derived stem cells by co-culture with retinal pigment epithelium in vitro.

The goal of this study was to assess the in vitro differentiation capacity of human bone marrow-derived stem cells (hBMSCs) along retinal lineages. Mononuclear cells (MNC) were isolated from bone marrow (BM) and mobilized peripheral blood (mPB) using Ficoll-Paque density gradient centrifugation, and were sorted by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) for specific stem cell subsets (CD34(+)CD38(+)/CD34(+)CD38(-)). These cells were then co-cultured on human retinal pigment epithelial cells (hRPE) for 7 days.