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1 From the Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, 2 Anatomy and Neurobiology, and 3 Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
| Abstract |
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METHODS. Mechanical injury was induced in the adult rat retina by a hooked needle. A cell suspension (containing 90,000 neural stem cells) was slowly injected into the vitreous space. The specimens were processed for immunohistochemical studies at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the transplantation.
RESULTS. In the best case, incorporation of grafted stem cells was seen in 50% of the injured retinas. Most of these cells located from the ganglion cell layer through the inner nuclear layer close to the injury site. Immunohistochemically, at 1 week, more than half of the grafted cells expressed nestin. At 4 weeks, some grafted cells showed immunoreactivity for microtubule-associated protein (MAP) 2ab, MAP5, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), suggesting progress in differentiation into cells of neuronal and astroglial lineages. However, they showed no immunoreactivity for HPC-1, calbindin, and rhodopsin, which suggests that they did not differentiate into mature retinal neurons. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed the formation of synapse-like structures between graft and host cells.
CONCLUSIONS. By the manipulation of mechanical injury, the incorporation and subsequent differentiation of the grafted stem cells into neuronal and glial lineage, including the formation of synapse-like structures, can be achieved, even in the adult rat retina.
| Introduction |
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Adult rat hippocampus-derived neural stem cells, first isolated by Palmer et al.5 , are one of the few cell lines that have been shown by clonal analysis to have multipotency and self-renewability. In a previous study of ours, we found that the hippocampal stem cells could be successfully transplanted and integrated into the neonatal rat retina but that when they were transplanted into adult eyes, they aggregated on the surface but never migrated into the retina.6
In this study, for the purpose of assessing the possibility and limitations of the use of brain-derived neural stem cells for retinal transplantation, we investigated whether these hippocampal stem cells could migrate and become incorporated into mechanically injured adult rat retinas.
| Materials and Methods |
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Animal Preparation and Grafting Procedure
Eight-week-old male Fischer rats (n = 30) were
obtained from Shimizu Laboratory Supplies (Kyoto, Japan). All
experiments were conducted in accordance with the ARVO Statement for
the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research. The animals were
anesthetized with a mixture (1:1) of xylazine hydrochloride (4 mg/kg)
and ketamine hydrochloride (10 mg/kg) administered intramuscularly. The
pupils were dilated with 0.5% tropicamide and 2.5% phenylephrine eye
drops. The corneas were anesthetized with drops of 0.4% oxybuprocaine
hydrochloride. The eyeballs were perforated at the equator with a
27-gauge needle. A hooked 30-gauge needle was then inserted through the
wound, and the retina was injured by scratching it parallel to the
equator between the retinal vessels under direct observation with a
surgical microscope equipped with a plano-concave contact lens for rats
(Kyocon, Kyoto, Japan). Special care was taken to injure the whole
layer of the retina, and success was affirmed by a small amount of
subretinal bleeding. After the injury, 3 µl of the cell suspension
(containing 90,000 cells) was slowly injected into the intravitreal
space with a microsyringe fitted with a 30-gauge blunt needle (15 rats,
30 eyes). As a control, 3 µl of the cell suspension was injected into
the intravitreal space of noninjured eyes (15 rats, 30 eyes). The
results from five eyes of the control group were excluded due to
complications of massive vitreous hemorrhage.
Tissue Sectioning
The animals were anesthetized by inhalation of diethyl ether and
fixed by transcardial perfusion with 4% paraformaldehyde (Merck,
Darmstadt, Germany) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (PB) 1, 2, and 4
weeks later. The eyes were enucleated to make eyecups. The eyecups were
immersed in the same fixative for 2 hours at 4°C and then in 15%,
20%, and 25% sucrose-PBS for cryoprotection. They were embedded in
optimal cutting temperature compound (OCT; Miles, Elkhart, IN) after
adjustment of their horizontal planes parallel to the cutting plane,
and 20-µm frozen sections were made in a cryostat. Continuous
sections including the injury site were cut for each eye.
Immunocytochemistry
The specimens were washed with 0.1 M PB and then incubated with
20% skim milk (DainihonSeiyaku, Osaka, Japan) in 0.1 M PB containing
0.005% saponin (0.1 M PB-saponin; Merck) for 10 minutes to block
nonspecific antibody binding. They were then incubated with primary
antibodies diluted in 5% skim milk in 0.1 M PB-saponin for 24 hours at
4°C. Antibodies and concentrations used in this study were as
follows: mouse monoclonal anti-ß-galactosidase (ß-gal, 1:1000;
Promega, Madison, WI), rabbit polyclonal anti-ß-gal (1:5000;
Chemicon, Temecula, CA), mouse monoclonal anti-nestin (1:1000;
PharMingen, San Diego, CA), mouse monoclonal anti-microtubule
associated protein (MAP) 2ab (1:100; Sigma, St. Louis, MO), mouse
monoclonal anti-MAP5 (1:1000; Chemicon), rabbit polyclonal anti-glial
fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP; 1:1000; Chemicon), rabbit anti-myelin
basic protein (MBP; 1:500; UltraClone, Wellow, UK), mouse monoclonal
anti-HPC-1 (1:1000; Sigma), mouse monoclonal anti-calbindin (1:500;
Sigma), and rabbit anti-rhodopsin (1:1000; LSL, Tokyo, Japan).
After the reaction with primary antibodies, the specimens were washed with 0.1 M PB-saponin and incubated with secondary antibodies diluted in 5% skim milk in 0.1 M PB-saponin for 90 minutes. Antibodies and concentrations used in this study were as follows: fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated sheep anti-mouse immunoglobulin (1:100; Amersham, Buckinghamshire, UK), FITC-conjugated donkey anti-rabbit immunoglobulin (1:100; Amersham), Cy5-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG (1:200; Amersham), and Cy5-conjugated donkey anti-rabbit IgG (1:200; Amersham).
Sections were then washed with 0.1 M PB, mounted with glycerol-PBS (1:1) and observed with a laser-scanning confocal microscope (1024; Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA).
Immunoelectron Microscopy
Immunoelectron microscopy using the silver-enhancement technique
was done as described.7
Briefly, after having been blocked
with 20% skim milk in 0.1 M PB-saponin, the sections were incubated
with the anti-ß-gal antibody (1:1000; Promega) and subsequently with
an anti-mouse IgG antibody coupled with 1.4-nm gold particles (1:50;
Nanoprobes, Stony Brook, NY). After the sections had been washed, they
were fixed with 1% glutaraldehyde (Nacalai Tesque, Kyoto, Japan) in
0.1 M PB for 10 minutes, and the sample-bound gold particles were then
silver-enhanced at 20°C for 12 minutes by use of an HQ-silver kit
(Nanoprobes). They were again washed and postfixed with 0.5% osmium
oxide (Nacalai Tesque) in 0.1 M PB at pH 7.3, dehydrated by passage
through a graded series of ethanol (50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%,
and 100%), and embedded in epoxy resin. From these samples, ultrathin
sections were cut, stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate, and
then observed with an electron microscope (JEM-1200EX; JEOL, Tokyo,
Japan).
| Results |
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First, we compared the incidence of eyes with incorporated grafted cells between the injured group and the noninjured group. In the injured group, 1 week after transplantation, ß-galimmunoreactive cells were incorporated into the host retina in 10% of the experimental eyes (1 of 10). At 2 and 4 weeks, the percentage of eyes with incorporated cells increased to 50% (5 of 10) and 40% (4 of 10), respectively (Table 1) . In the eyes with incorporated grafted cells, the grafted cells were distributed around the site of injury, where GFAP immunoreactivity of the host retina was upregulated (Fig. 1A ). In contrast, no eyes incorporated grafted cells in the noninjured group at any period after transplantation (Table 1) . The grafted cells were found to have aggregated on the inner surface but never to have been incorporated into the host retina of the noninjured group (Fig. 1B) . Statistical analysis by Fishers exact probability test showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) between the injured and noninjured groups in the incidence of successful incorporation of the grafted cells at both 2 and 4 weeks after transplantation.
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The grafted cells adherent to the inner surface of the host retina in the injured group were round and had no processes, whereas most incorporated cells had elongated processes, and some of them showed morphologies reminiscent of amacrine and bipolar cells (Fig. 2) .
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Our preliminary studies showed the presence of nestin immunoreactivity in more than 96% of the cultured hippocampal stem cells; however, no immunoreactivity for other specific markers of differentiated cell types, including MAP2ab, MAP5, GFAP, MBP, HPC-1, calbindin, and rhodopsin, was detected (data not shown).
Among the grafted cells, nestin-positive cells were over 50% at the end of 1 and 2 weeks after transplantation; however, they decreased to 36% after 4 weeks (Table 2 , Figs. 3A 3B 3C ). MAP5-positive cells increased markedly from 1% to 22% between 1 and 2 weeks, whereas MAP2ab-positive cells gradually increased from 1 to 4 weeks (Table 2 , Figs. 3D 3E 3F ). As for the two glial markers, GFAP-positive grafted cells increased from 2% to 10% between 2 and 4 weeks, but MBP-positive cells were hardly observed from weeks 1 through 4 (Table 2 , Figs. 3G 3H 3I ). Immunoreactivity for retinal cell markers, HPC-1, calbindin, and rhodopsin was hardly detected in the grafted cells throughout the 4 weeks (Table 2 , Figs. 3J 3K 3L ).
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Immunoelectron Microscopy on Sections at 4 Weeks after
Transplantation
Immunoelectron microscopy was performed on sections of 4-week
specimens. Grafted cells were identified by the presence of gold
particles indicating immunoreactivity for ß-gal. In general, the
grafted cells had heterochromatic nuclei and a large number of
mitochondria (Figs. 4A
4B
).
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| Discussion |
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This study has shown the ability of hippocampus-derived neural stem cells to migrate and differentiate in the injured retina. However, the limitation of their differentiation into authentic retinal neurons was also recognized.
Pattern of Incorporated Grafted Cells in the Host Retina
The incidence of the eyes with incorporated grafted cells
increased between 1 and 2 weeks but did not change between 2 and 4
weeks. Some time may be required for the cells that have migrated onto
the retinal surface to create grafthost contacts and to migrate into
the host retina. This behavior of the grafted cells is consistent with
the results of our previous study.6
The grafted cells were located around the injured sites, where the
expression of nestin and GFAP in the host Müller cells was
upregulated. The width of the distribution of the grafted cells was
much greater than that of the injury (less than 100 µm) at any time
point evaluated. We therefore speculate that the grafted cells migrated
into the host retina not only from the injured site but also from the
vitreous surface around the injured site where the host Müller
cells were activated by the injury. This speculation was supported by
our other experiments that hippocampal stem cells can also incorporate
into chemically damaged retinas (data not shown). It has been reported
that upregulation of the expression of nestin and GFAP in astrocytes or
Müller cells occurred in the CNS including the retina after
various types of damage.14
15
16
17
18
It also has been shown that
activated Müller cells express a number of cytokines such as
bFGF, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), and transforming growth
factor (TGF)-
.19
20
21
22
It seems reasonable that the
Müller cells that were activated by the mechanical injury may
have played an important role in the migration and/or differentiation
of the surviving grafted cells.
For the purpose of assessing the effect of retinal injury, we chose the vitreous cavity instead of the subretinal space for the site of injection of the neural stem cells. Subretinal injection itself causes retinal detachment and much damage to the retina.
Differentiation and Integration of the Grafted Cells
The hippocampal stem cells used as the grafted cells were
confirmed by immunocytochemistry to be immature cells. Before grafting,
most of them expressed nestin. However, once they were grafted, the
number of cells expressing nestin decreased. On the contrary, the cells
expressing MAPs and GFAP increased with time, which suggests
differentiation of the stem cells into cells of the neuronal and
astroglial lineages. Among the MAPs, MAP2ab is thought to be a late
marker of neuronal differentiation, because its expression increases as
neuronal cells mature,23
whereas the expression of MAP5 is
generally abundant in neuronal cells at very early developmental
stages.23
These facts explain why the expression of MAP5
in the grafted cells increased earlier than that of MAP2ab. GFAP and
MBP are markers for astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, respectively. The
expression of MBP was hardly detected up to 4 weeks, whereas that of
GFAP increased between 2 and 4 weeks after the grafting. This finding
indicates that the hippocampal stem cells did not differentiate into
oligodendrocytes but into astrocytes after the grafting, although they
differentiated into both glial lineages in vitro.5
It also
suggests that the specific microenvironment in the retina, where no
oligodendrocytes exist, may affect the fate of differentiation of the
hippocampal stem cells. As for the retinal cell markers, HPC-1,
calbindin, and rhodopsin, their expression in the grafted cells was
hardly observed at any time after the grafting, indicating the failure
of differentiation into retinal neurons even at the end of 4 weeks
after the grafting. One possible reason for the failure is absence of
unknown local cues in injured adult retina. There may be some unknown
factors that are expressed only in earlier stages of retinal
development and permit the hippocampal stem cells to differentiate into
retinal neurons. Another possible explanation is limited plasticity of
the hippocampus-derived neural stem cells. They may continue to possess
the characteristics of cells in the hippocampus, from which they are
derived, even after being transplanted into retinal tissue.
Immunoelectron microscopic study revealed the existence of graftgraft and grafthost contacts. The grafted cells formed puncta adhaerentia-like and asymmetrical synapse-like structures with the host cells. Not only mechanical contacts but also intercellular signaling could be formed between the graft and host cells. There are several reports describing grafthost synapse formation in the adult CNS in homotopic transplantation, such as retina to retina,24 25 and also in heterotopic transplantation, such as retina to cerebellum.26 It is still unknown whether these synapse-like structures actually function; however, the formation of such structures is significant evidence for integration of the grafted cells into the host retina.
Deriving Retinal Neurons from Neural Stem Cells
Further studies are needed to establish the utility of neural stem
cells for replacement and reconstruction of retinal neurons. One
possibility is retina-derived neural progenitor cells. A recent study
revealed that embryonic retina-derived neural progenitor cells can
differentiate into photoreceptors in vitro.27
If they
maintain the characteristics of retinal cells through expansion in
vitro, they may differentiate into retina-specific neurons after
transplantation. Another possibility is modification of cellular
characteristics of the hippocampus-derived neural stem cells for
retina-specific differentiation by transfection of key molecules such
as homeobox genes.28
29
Also, pretreatment of the neural
stem cells with growth factors is a possible means of controlling the
cells fate. In fact, in our previous study, we found that some
neurotrophins affect the differentiation of the hippocampal stem cells
in vitro30
; however, growth factors that can induce neural
progenitor cells to produce retina-specific neurons have not yet been
identified.
| Conclusions |
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| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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Submitted for publication May 22, 2000; revised July 5, 2000; accepted July 25, 2000.
Commercial relationships policy: N.
Corresponding author: Masayo Takahashi, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kawaharacho, Shogoin, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. masataka{at}kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
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