Two monkey eyes that showed clinical evidence of drusen were studied by light and electron microscopy. The drusen-like spots had several different morphological patterns: the appearance of typical drusen, budding retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, and vacuolation of retinal pigment epithelial cells. Several stages of budding were seen. In some lesions, part of the RPE cell protruded into t...

PURPOSE To study topographical differences in porcine retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell proliferation (1) in vivo, after experimental central surgical subretinal injury, and (2) in vitro. METHODS Domestic pigs underwent either experimental RPE debridement (n = 5), subretinal amniotic membrane transplantation (n= 4), or both (n= 1) in the left eye. RPE cell proliferation was assayed by inj...

BACKGROUND Primary RPE cells could be a reliable model for representing in vivo status of RPE compared with cell lines. We present a protocol for in vitro isolation and culture of primary RPE cells from C57BL mice. MATERIAL AND METHODS We used C57BL mice ages 7 days to 4 months. The RPE layer was separated from the neural retina layer by digestion with 2% Dispase for 45 min and scraped off from...

BACKGROUND The aim of this paper is to report the incidence of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) tears in patients treated with ranibizumab for subfoveal fibrovascular retinal pigment epithelial detachment (FVPED) due to occult age-related macular degeneration (AMD). MATERIAL/METHODS Thirty patients were treated according to the following schedule: saturation phase, further treatment was based...

BACKGROUND To identify and functionally annotate cell type-specific gene expression in the human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a key tissue involved in age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. METHODOLOGY RPE, photoreceptor and choroidal cells were isolated from selected freshly frozen healthy human donor eyes using laser microdissection. RNA isolation, amplification and...

PURPOSE Eye development and photoreceptor maintenance is dependent on the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a thin layer of cells that underlies the neural retina. Despite its importance, development of RPE has not been studied by a genomic approach. In this study, a microarray expression-profiling methodology was established for studying RPE development. METHODS The intact retina with RPE at...

Damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is an early event in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) is a key transcription factor that regulates endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis and cell survival. This study aimed to delineate the role of endogenous XBP1 in the RPE. Our results show that in a rat model of light-induced retinal deg...

During vertebrate eye development, the transcription factor MITF acts to promote the development of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In embryos with Mitf mutations, the future RPE hyperproliferates and is respecified as retinal tissue but only in a small portion of the dorsal RPE. Using a series of genetic crosses, we show that this spatial restriction of RPE respecification is brought abo...

Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells play important roles in progression of human ophthalmic diseases. Evidences have showed that Resveratrol (RV) presents benefits for the treatment of ophthalmic diseases. In this study, we investigated the potential molecular mechanism mediated by RV in RPE cells. Transforming Growth Factor beta1 (TGFβ1) and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) signal pa...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss among elderly. Although the pathogenesis of AMD is associated with retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) dysfunction and abnormal neovascularization the detailed mechanisms remain unresolved. RPE is a specialized monolayer of epithelial cells with important functions in ocular homeostasis. Pathological RPE damage contribute...