Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To identify genes altered in aging retina that can serve as candidate for aging-dependent retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration. Methods: We have used Murine 74A GeneChip oligonucleotide microarrays (Affymetrix, Inc.) with approx. 6000 each known genes and expressed sequence tags (ESTs). The cRNA targets were generated from retinas from mice at 6 different points over the lifetimes. After hybridization and washing, the arrays were scanned and fluorescence intensities analyzed using Affymetrix Microarray Suit software and Checkmate 8.1. A novel clustering method based on multi-objective optimization was also applied to further extract changes in gene expression. Results: The genes that were differentially expressed during aging could be subdivided into functional categories of molecular chaperons and immune-related genes. The results of GeneChip analyses are currently being confirmed by fluorescent real-time RT-PCR. In Situ hybridization technique is being used to examine spatial expression patterns in the retina using a selected set of genes. Conclusion: Our results suggest that immune- and inflammatory-mediated processes may be involved in retinal aging. The careful use of gene microarrays can provide useful ways in identifying genes altered during retinal development and aging.
Keywords: 309 aging • 554 retina • 417 gene/expression