AMD-Like Substrate Causes Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition in iPSC-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Wild Type but Not C3-Knockout.

ABSTRACT: The Bruch's membrane (BrM) is a five-layered extracellular matrix (ECM) that supports the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Normal age-related changes in the BrM may lead to RPE cell damage and ultimately to the onset and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the most common cause of visual loss among the elderly. A role for the complement system in AMD pathology has been established, but the disease mechanisms are poorly understood, which hampers the design of efficient therapies to treat millions of patients. In an effort to identify the mechanisms that lead from normal aging to pathology, we have developed a cell-based model using complement deficient human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived RPE cells cultured on an AMD-like ECM that mimics BrM. The d

SUBMITTER: Chinchilla B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8348968 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature