ADULT HUMAN RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIAL CELLS — A POTENTIAL SOURCE
OF CELLS FOR REGENERATION RETINA
A. V. Kuznetsova,1 E. N. Grigoryan, M. A. Aleksandrova
N. K. Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology RAS, Moscow;
1 e-mail: avkuzn@list.ru
Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) arises from neuroectoderm and plays a key role in support of photoreceptor
functions. Several degenerative eye diseases, such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa, are associated
with impaired RPE function that may lead to photoreceptor loss and blindness. RPE cell culture derived
from adult human eyes autopsy could be an important source for transplantation to cure such retinal degenerative
diseases. RPE cells subsequent isolation and maintenance in culture are described. Besides the results of immunocytochemical
analysis that characterizes dedifferentiated state of cultured adult human RPE cells are given.
Our findings demonstrate that mature human RPE cells have the capacity to express neural markers in response
to conditions that promote dedifferentiation.
Key words: adult human retinal pigment epithelium cells, cell culture, basic fibroblast growth factor, dedifferentiation,
expression of neural markers
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