Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:To evaluate expression of surface marker on a progenitor population derived from the neural retina (gmRSCs), and to test whether MHC expression can be induced by treatment with the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-gamma. Methods:gmRSCs were originally derived from pooled retinas of neonatal GFP-transgenic mice. Cells were subsequently grown as a monolayer in the presence of EGF (20 ng/ml) and harvested as a single cell suspension for flow cytometry. A subset of gmRSCs were treated with mouse recombinant IFN-gamma prior to harvest. Results:Surface markers expressed by gmRSCs included the tetraspanins CD9 and CD81, the Lewis antigen CD15, and the ganglioside GD2. Class I and class II MHC antigens were undetectable but readily, and reversibly, induced by IFN-gamma. Conclusion:Retinal progenitors express surface markers previously identified on analogous cells derived from the brain of the same transgenic mice (Klassen, et al., Neurosci Lett, 2001). Tetraspanins such as CD9 and CD81 may play a significant role in migration, proliferation, and differentiation. CD15 and GD2 may be of interest for prospective selection of retinal progenitors. Low baseline MHC is likely to confer a degree of immune privilege upon these cells, although this advantage may be somewhat conditional.
Keywords: 554 retina • 553 regeneration • 607 transplantation