Analysis of the retinal gene expression profile after hypoxic preconditioning identifies candidate genes for neuroprotection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Retinal degeneration is a main cause of blindness in humans. Neuroprotective therapies may be used to rescue retinal cells and preserve vision. Hypoxic preconditioning stabilizes the transcription factor HIF-1alpha in the retina and strongly protects photoreceptors in an animal model of light-induced retinal degeneration. To address the molecular mechanisms of the protection, we analyzed the transcriptome of the hypoxic retina using microarrays and real-time PCR.

Results

Hypoxic exposure induced a marked alteration in the retinal transcriptome with significantly different expression levels of 431 genes immediately after hypoxic exposure. The normal expression profile was restored within 16 hours of reoxygenation. Among the differentially regulated genes, several c

SUBMITTER: Thiersch M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2270833 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature