Transplanted Donor- or Stem Cell-Derived Cone Photoreceptors Can Both Integrate and Undergo Material Transfer in an Environment-Dependent Manner

Publication date: Available online 4 January 2018 Source:Stem Cell Reports Author(s): Paul V. Waldron, Fabiana Di Marco, Kamil Kruczek, Joana Ribeiro, Anna B. Graca, Claire Hippert, Nozie D. Aghaizu, Aikaterini A. Kalargyrou, Amanda C. Barber, Guilia Grimaldi, Yanai Duran, Samuel J.I. Blackford, Magdalena Kloc, Debbie Goh, Eduardo Zabala Aldunate, Robert D. Sampson, James W.B. Bainbridge, Alexander J. Smith, Anai Gonzalez-Cordero, Jane C. Sowden, Robin R. Ali, Rachael A. Pearson Human vision relies heavily upon cone photoreceptors, and their loss results in permanent visual impairment. Transplantation of healthy photoreceptors can restore visual function in models of inherited blindness, a process previously understood to arise by donor cell integration within the host retina. However, we and others recently demonstrated that donor rod photoreceptors engage in material transfer with host photoreceptors, leading to the host cells acquiring proteins otherwise expressed only by donor cells. We sought to determine whether stem cell- and donor-derived cones undergo integration and/or material transfer. We find that material transfer accounts for a significant proportion of rescued cells following cone transplantation into non-degenerative hosts. Strikingly, however, substantial numbers of cones integrated into the Nrl −/− and Prph2 rd2/rd2 , but not Nrl −/− ;RPE65 R91W/R91W , murine models of retinal degeneration. This confirms the occurrence of pho...
Source: Stem Cell Reports - Category: Stem Cells Source Type: research