Fruttiger M, Calver A R, Krüger W H, Mudhar H S, Michalovich D, Takakura N, Nishikawa S, Richardson W D
MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, United Kingdom.
Neuron. 1996 Dec;17(6):1117-31. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80244-5.
Astrocytes invade the developing retina from the optic nerve head, over the axons of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). RGCs express the platelet-derived growth factor A-chain (PDGF-A) and retinal astrocytes the PDGF alpha-receptor (PDGFR alpha), suggesting that PDGF mediates a paracrine interaction between these cells. To test this, we inhibited PDGF signaling in the eye with a neutralizing anti-PDGFR alpha antibody or a soluble extracellular fragment of PDGFR alpha. These treatments inhibited development of the astrocyte network. We also generated transgenic mice that overexpress PDGF-A in RGCs. This resulted in hyperproliferation of astrocytes, which in turn induced excessive vasculogenesis. Thus, PDGF appears to be a link in the chain of cell-cell interactions responsible for matching numbers of neurons, astrocytes, and blood vessels during retinal development.
