Betacellulin regulates the proliferation and differentiation of retinal progenitor cells in vitro.

ABSTRACT: Retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) hold great potential for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases. However, their proliferation capacity and differentiation potential towards specific retinal neurons are limited, which limit their future clinical applications. Thus, it is important to improve the RPCs' ability to proliferate and differentiate. Currently, epidermal growth factor (EGF) is commonly used to stimulate RPC growth in vitro. In this study, we find that betacellulin (BTC), a member of the EGF family, plays important roles in the proliferation and differentiation of RPCs. Our results showed that BTC can significantly promote the proliferation of RPCs more efficiently than EGF. EGF stimulated RPC proliferation through the EGFR/ErbB2-Erk pathway, while BTC stimulated RPC prolife

SUBMITTER: Zhang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5742713 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature