Chacko D M, Rogers J A, Turner J E, Ahmad I
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198-6395, USA.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2000 Feb 24;268(3):842-6. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.2000.2153.
We have shown that embryonic retina contains progenitors which display stem cell properties in vitro. These cells are proliferative and in addition to expressing the neuroectodermal marker, nestin, are multipotential. These properties and the fact that the putative stem cells can differentiate as photoreceptors when exposed to conducive environment identify them as a viable transplantation reagents to address degenerative retinal diseases. Here we report the survival and differentiation of cultured retinal progenitors upon subretinal transplantation. The retinal progenitor grafts, either as neural spheres or in the form of dissociated cells, survived without disrupting the morphology and laminar organization of the host retina. They did not form rosettes, the morphological barrier to the reconstruction of the normal anatomy of the retina. In addition, transplanted progenitors expressed photoreceptor-specific markers, suggesting that progenitors have the potential to differentiate as photoreceptors. Our observations suggest that cultured retinal progenitors can be a viable reagents for therapeutic transplantation.
我们已经证明，胚胎视网膜含有在体外表现出干细胞特性的祖细胞。这些细胞具有增殖能力，除了表达神经外胚层标志物巢蛋白外，还具有多能性。这些特性以及假定的干细胞在暴露于有利环境时可分化为光感受器这一事实，将它们确定为解决视网膜退行性疾病的可行移植试剂。在此，我们报告视网膜祖细胞在视网膜下移植后的存活和分化情况。视网膜祖细胞移植体，无论是神经球形式还是解离细胞形式，均能存活，且不会破坏宿主视网膜的形态和层状组织结构。它们没有形成玫瑰花结，而玫瑰花结是视网膜正常解剖结构重建的形态学障碍。此外，移植的祖细胞表达光感受器特异性标志物，表明祖细胞具有分化为光感受器的潜力。我们的观察结果表明，培养的视网膜祖细胞可以成为治疗性移植的可行试剂。
