• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.204-211
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• 2024

With recent advances in adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy, efficacy and toxicity screening have become essential for developing gene therapeutic drugs for retinal diseases. Retinal organoids from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) offer a more accessible and reproducible human test platform for evaluating AAV-based gene therapy. In this study, hPSCs were differentiated into retinal organoids composed of various types of retinal cells. The transduction efficiencies of AAV2 and AAV8, which are widely used in clinical trials of inherited retinal diseases, were analyzed using retinal organoids. These results suggest that retinal organoids derived from hPSCs serve as suitable screening platforms owing to their diverse retinal cell types and similarity to the human retina. In summary, we propose an optimal stepwise protocol that includes the generation of retinal organoids and analysis of AAV transduction efficacy, providing a comprehensive approach for evaluating AAV-based gene therapy for retinal diseases.

• BMB Reports
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• 제48권4호
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• pp.193-199
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• 2015

Degenerative retinal diseases affect millions of people worldwide, which can lead to the loss of vision. However, therapeutic approaches that can reverse this process are limited. Recent efforts have allowed the possibility of the stem cell-based regeneration of retinal cells and repair of injured retinal tissues. Although the direct differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into terminally differentiated photoreceptor cells comprises one approach, a series of studies revealed the intrinsic regenerative potential of the retina using endogenous retinal stem cells. Muller glial cells, ciliary pigment epithelial cells, and retinal pigment epithelial cells are candidates for such retinal stem cells that can differentiate into multiple types of retinal cells and be integrated into injured or developing retina. In this review, we explore our current understanding of the cellular identity of these candidate retinal stem cells and their therapeutic potential for cell therapy against degenerative retinal diseases. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(4): 193-199]

• 한국의학물리학회지:의학물리
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.260-267
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• 2006

개개의 망막신경절세포는 자신이 담당하고 있는 망막의 특정부위에 빛자극이 가해지면 그 빛자극의 특징을 활동전위의 형태로 인코딩하게 된다. 이때 개개의 망막신경절세포가 담당하고 있는 망막의 특정부위를 감수야(receptive field)라 부른다. 그러므로 망막신경절세포의 전기적 특성을 파악하기 위해서는 감수야의 위치를 규정하는 작업이 반드시 필요하다. 그 이유는 감수야의 배열 상태를 알게 되면 신경절세포가 어떻게 시각자극을 인코딩하는지 그 메커니즘에 관한 통찰이 가능하기 때문이다. 본 논문에서는 무작위 바둑판 자극을 MEA의 개개 채널에 독립적으로 인가함과 동시에 여러 망막신경절세포의 흥분파를 기록하였다. 이후 오프라인에서 망막신경절세포의 파형을 추출하고 ON-cell, OFF-cell, ON/OFF-cell로 분류한 후 개개의 망막신경절세포의 감수야를 WATLAB을 이용하여 구현하여 보았다. 이런 방식으로 재구성된 ON-cell과 OFF-cell의 감수야의 예를 제시한다.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제47권2호
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• pp.90-98
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• 2023

The human eye, constantly exposed to solar radiation, can be damaged by UV radiation. In particular, ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced damage plays an important role in retinal degeneration and cell aging. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of the methanol extract of Oxya chinensis sinuosa (OCM), an edible insect known for its high protein content (64.2%), and various pharmacological effects, on human retinal pigment epithelial cells. ARPE-19 cells were treated with OCM and subsequently UVB irradiated. Our results showed that OCM effectively attenuates UVB-induced cell damage by reducing MAPK phosphorylation (JNK and p38 MAPK). Additionally, OCM increased the phosphorylation of Akt, and cell cycle regulators, including p21 and p27, in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, OCM treatment increased ARPE-19 cell proliferation by activating the S6K1/S6 pathway. This study suggests that OCM prevents UVB-induced retinal cell damage by increasing cell proliferation via ROS reduction, suggesting its potential as a functional therapeutic superfood against retinal cell damage.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.307-314
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• 2008

Retinal prostheses are being developed to restore vision for the blind with retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Among the many issues for prosthesis development, stimulation encoding strategy is one of the most essential electrophysiological issues. The more we understand the retinal circuitry how it encodes and processes visual information, the greater it could help decide stimulation encoding strategy for retinal prosthesis. Therefore, we examined how retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in in-vitro retinal preparation act together to encode a visual scene with multielectrode array (MEA). Simultaneous recording of many RGCs with MEA showed that nearby neurons often fired synchronously, with spike delays mostly within 1 ms range. This synchronized firing - narrow correlation - was blocked by gap junction blocker, heptanol, but not by glutamatergic synapse blocker, kynurenic acid. By tracking down all the RGC pairs which showed narrow correlation, we could harvest 40 functional connectivity maps of RGCs which showed the cell cluster firing together. We suggest that finding functional connectivity map would be useful in stimulation encoding strategy for the retinal prosthesis since stimulating the cluster of RGCs would be more efficient than separately stimulating each individual RGC.

• Applied Microscopy
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.175-183
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• 2007

정확한 세포의 구조 분석을 위해서는 조직을 가능한 한 자연 상태 그대로 보존하는 것이 무엇보다 중요하다. 그러나 지금까지 이용되고 있는 화학적인 고정방법은 조직의 변형을 유도하는 것으로 알려져 그 해결방법에 관한 연구가 활발히 진행되고 있다. 그 연구의 결과로 현재 급속 동결법이 제시되었고, 그 중 초고압동결법(high-pressure freezing method)는 가용 두께가 $200{\mu}m$로서 $10{\sim}15{\mu}m$정도인 침윤동결법(plunging method) 혹은 접촉동결법 (slamming method)보다 우수한 방법으로 보고되고 있다. 본 연구팀에는 노랑초파리(Drosophila melanogaster)의 레티나를 화학고정법과 고압동결법으로 고정하여 미세구조를 비교하였다. 먼저 120kV 전자현미경을 이용하여 각 세포 소기관을 비교하였고, 그 중 미토콘드리아의 형태변화를 좀 더 자세히 비교하기 위하여 초고압전자현미경을 이용하였다. 그 결과 급속동결 세포의 세포막과 미토콘드리아의 고정에서 특히 차이가 있음을 알 수 있었고, 이는 주로 탈수에 의한 구조변형 때문인 것으로 추측된다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.199-206
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• 2010

망막 질환에서의 줄기세포 치료는 이전까지 치료가 불가능하다고 여겨졌던 환자들에서 시력을 향상시킬 수 있는 가능성 때문에 주목 받고 있다. 본문에서는 망막 전구세포의 분화를 위해 사용되는 태아 줄기세포, 배아줄기세포 및 성체줄기세포 등 다양한 세포 종류와, 내인적, 외인적 인자 및 이식 방법에 대해 논의하였다. 망막색소상피세포뿐만 아니라 시각세포 전구체로 성공적으로 분화시킨 실험적 연구가 보고되고 있다. 줄기세포기반치료는 아직 한계가 있지만 망막 질환 환자에서 시력을 회복하기 위한 보다 근본적인 치료 방법으로 기대되고 있다.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제20권5호
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• pp.533-538
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• 2016

Angiogenesis plays an essential role in embryo development, tissue repair, inflammatory diseases, and tumor growth. In the present study, we showed that endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) regulates retinal angiogenesis. Mice that lack eNOS showed growth retardation, and retinal vessel development was significantly delayed. In addition, the number of tip cells and filopodia length were significantly reduced in mice lacking eNOS. Retinal endothelial cell proliferation was significantly blocked in mice lacking eNOS, and EMG-2-induced endothelial cell sprouting was significantly reduced in aortic vessels isolated from eNOS-deficient mice. Finally, pericyte recruitment to endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cell coverage to blood vessels were attenuated in mice lacking eNOS. Taken together, we suggest that the endothelial cell function and blood vessel maturation are regulated by eNOS during retinal angiogenesis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.94-98
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• 2016

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the effect of bisphosphonates, anti-osteoporosis agents, on glucose uptake in retinal capillary endothelial cells under normal and high glucose conditions. The change of glucose uptake by pre-treatment of bisphosphonates at the inner blood-retinal barrier (iBRB) was determined by measuring cellular uptake of $[^3H]3$-O-methyl glucose (3-OMG) using a conditionally immortalized rat retinal capillary endothelial cell line (TR-iBRB cells) under normal and high glucose conditions. $[^3H]3$-OMG uptake was inhibited by simultaneous treatment of unlabeled D-glucose and 3-OMG as well as glucose transport inhibitor, cytochalasin B. On the other hand, simultaneous treatment of alendronate or pamidronate had no significant inhibitory effect on $[^3H]3$-OMG uptake by TR-iBRB cells. Under high glucose condition of TR-iBRB cells, $[^3H]3$-OMG uptake was increased at 48 h. However, $[^3H]3$-OMG uptake was decreased significantly by pre-treatment of alendronate or pamidronate compared with the values for normal and high glucose conditions. Moreover, geranylgeraniol (GGOH), a mevalonate pathway intermediate, increased the uptake of $[^3H]3$-OMG reduced by bisphosphonates pre-treatment. But, pre-treatment of histamine did not show significant inhibition of $[^3H]3$-OMG uptake. The glucose uptake may be down regulated by inhibiting the mevalonate pathway with pre-treatment of bisphosphonates in TR-iBRB cells at high glucose condition.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.167-175
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• 2015

A retinal prosthesis is being developed for the restoration of vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Determining optimal electrical stimulation parameters for the prosthesis is one of the most important elements for the development of a viable retinal prosthesis. Here, we investigated the effects of different charge-balanced biphasic pulses with regard to their effectiveness in evoking retinal ganglion cell (RGC) responses. Retinal degeneration (rd1) mice were used (n=17). From the ex-vivo retinal preparation, retinal patches were placed ganglion cell layer down onto an $8{\times}8$ multielectrode array (MEA) and RGC responses were recorded while applying electrical stimuli. For asymmetric pulses, 1st phase of the pulse is the same with symmetric pulse but the amplitude of 2nd phase of the pulse is less than $10{\mu}A$ and charge balanced condition is satisfied by lengthening the duration of the pulse. For intensities (or duration) modulation, duration (or amplitude) of the pulse was fixed to $500{\mu}s$($30{\mu}A$), changing the intensities (or duration) from 2 to $60{\mu}A$(60 to $1000{\mu}s$). RGCs were classified as response-positive when PSTH showed multiple (3~4) peaks within 400 ms post stimulus and the number of spikes was at least 30% more than that for the immediate pre-stimulus 400 ms period. RGC responses were well modulated both with anodic and cathodic phase-1st biphasic pulses. Cathodic phase-1st pulses produced significantly better modulation of RGC activity than anodic phase-1st pulses regardless of symmetry of the pulse.