Abstract
Retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) secretes transforming growth factor beta 1 and 2 (TGF-β1 and -β2) cytokines involved in fibrosis, immune privilege, and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). Since RPE cell polarity may be altered in various disease conditions including PVR and age-related macular degeneration, we determined levels of TGF-β from polarized human RPE (hRPE) and human stem cell derived RPE (hESC-RPE) as compared to nonpolarized cells. TGF-β2 was the predominant isoform in all cell culture conditions. Nonpolarized cells secreted significantly more TGF-β2 supporting the contention that loss of polarity of RPE in PVR leads to rise of intravitreal TGF-β2. Active TGF-β2, secreted mainly from apical side of polarized RPE, represented 6-10% of total TGF-β2. In conclusion, polarity is an important determinant of TGF-β2 secretion in RPE. Low levels of apically secreted active TGF-β2 may play a role in the normal physiology of the subretinal space. Comparable secretion of TGF-β from polarized hESC-RPE and hRPE supports the potential for hESC-RPE in RPE replacement therapies.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 394-396 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Cytokine |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords
- Embryonic stem cell
- Polarity
- Proliferative vitreoretinopathy
- Retinal pigment epithelium
- TGF-β