May 2007
Volume 48, Issue 13
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   May 2007
Müller Glial Cells Have a Potential to Differentiate Into Photoreceptor Cells Through in vitro Aggregate-Culture and Transplantation Into Subretinal Space
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • A. Kubota
    Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tohoku Univ Graduate School of Medicine, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan
  • K. Nakashima
    Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Nara Insititute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara, Japan
  • Y. Tano
    Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Osaka, Japan
  • K. Nishida
    Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tohoku Univ Graduate School of Medicine, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships A. Kubota, None; K. Nakashima, None; Y. Tano, None; K. Nishida, None.
  • Footnotes
    Support Grant-in-Aid 18390468 for scientific research from the Ministry of Education,Science, Culture, and Sports of Japan
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science May 2007, Vol.48, 5093. doi:
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    • Get Citation

      A. Kubota, K. Nakashima, Y. Tano, K. Nishida; Müller Glial Cells Have a Potential to Differentiate Into Photoreceptor Cells Through in vitro Aggregate-Culture and Transplantation Into Subretinal Space. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2007;48(13):5093.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Purpose:: We have reported that rat Müller glial cells can be converted into a neuronal lineage by in vitro aggregate-culture (ARVO 2006). But they didn’t express markers of retina-specific neurons such as photoreceptor cells. It has been previously reported that embryonic stem cells or retinal progenitor cells become retina-specific neurons when transplanted into vitreous space or subretinal space, suggesting that retina-specific environment might be a key requirement for retinal cell development. In this experiment, we tested whether rat Müller glial cells can be converted to photoreceptor cells by subretinal transplantation.

Methods:: Müller glial cells were obtained from 2-week-old green fluorescent protein transgenic rats according to the method previously reported. After reached to subconfluency, they were passaged to non-adhesive coated culture dishes in serum-free defined medium for aggregate-culture. As a control, they were passaged to adhesive culture dishes for monolayer-culture. After 5 days culture, these cells were collected and transplanted into subretinal space of 2-week-old Long-Evans rats. Seven days after aggregate-culture or monolayer-culture, eye balls were fixed and immunostained with an antibody of opsin.

Results:: Aggregate-cultured Müller glial cells expressed a photoreceptor cell-specific marker, opsin. In contrast, monolayer-cultured Müller glial cells didn’t express the marker.

Conclusions:: Rat Müller glial cells can be converted to photoreceptor cells by in vitro aggregate-culture and subsequent transplantation into subretinal space. These results suggest that Müller glial cells might be used as a cell source for photoreceptor cell regeneration in the patients with degenerative retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa.

Keywords: Muller cells • photoreceptors • differentiation 
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