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(Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2002;43:267-273.)
© 2002 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Phenotypic Variation of Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Clyde Guidry1, Nancy E. Medeiros2 and Christine A. Curcio1

1 From the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; and the 2 Retina Specialists of North Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama.

PURPOSE. To determine whether retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in eyes with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) express vimentin and {alpha} smooth muscle actin ({alpha}SMA), two cytoskeletal proteins associated with phenotypic variation in culture.

METHODS. Six eyes with late ARMD and three age-matched control eyes were preserved in buffered 4% paraformaldehyde and cryosectioned at 10 µm. Stages of RPE morphology and pigmentation were assessed by the Alabama Age-Related Macular Degeneration Grading System. Vimentin, {alpha}SMA, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression was detected by indirect immunofluorescence. These results were compared with regional variations in disease severity.

RESULTS. RPE changes in ARMD included acquired expression of vimentin, but {alpha}SMA-positive cells were rare. GFAP expression increased in Müller cells in the neural retina in association with RPE changes and photoreceptor degeneration.

CONCLUSIONS. The initial stages of RPE changes in eyes with ARMD mimic those reported for cultured RPE cells. The absence of {alpha}SMA-positive cells in regions of RPE atrophy suggests that RPE are lost rather than persist in a dedifferentiated state.




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