Reprogramming retinal pigment epithelium to differentiate toward retinal neurons with Sox2.

ABSTRACT: Guiding non-neural, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) to produce retinal neurons may offer a source of developing neurons for cell-replacement. Sox2 plays important roles in maintaining neural progenitor/stem cell properties and in converting fibroblasts into pluripotent stem cells. This study tests the possibility of using Sox2 to reprogram RPE to differentiate toward retinal neurons in vivo and in vitro. Expression of Sox2 in the chick retina was detected in progenitor cells, in cells at a discrete location in the layers of amacrine and ganglion cells, and in Muller glia. Overexpression of Sox2 in the developing eye resulted in hypopigmentation of the RPE. In the affected regions, expression of retinal ganglion cell markers became apparent in the RPE layer. In RPE cell culture, Sox2 promo

SUBMITTER: Ma W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2746631 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature