Purpose Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacilli have been found in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells from uveitis patients without signs of systemic tuberculosis (TB) infection. RPE cells are important for ocular immune privilege and uveitis development. Methods To address a potential role for Mtb-infected RPE cells in the development of uveitis, we delineated the response to Mtb infect...

PURPOSE A defect in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells may cause dysfunction of the neural retina, so rapid recovery of differentiated RPE cells is required after RPE injury. We investigated the effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on wound healing in RPE cells. METHODS Confluent monolayers of bovine RPE cells were denuded, and the cells were allowed to recover in the presence or abse...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among older adults. It has been suggested that mitochondrial defects in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) underlies AMD pathology. To test this idea, we developed primary cultures of RPE to ask whether RPE from donors with AMD differ in their metabolic profile compared with healthy age-matched donors. Analysis of gene e...

We examine the explicit use of relative performance evaluation (RPE) in executive compensation contracts and the selection of RPE peers. Using S&P 1500 firms’ first proxy disclosures under the SEC’s 2006 executive compensation disclosure rules, we demonstrate that incorporating details of RPE contracts (such as peer group composition) in the traditional implicit test significantly improves the ...

Waste plastic pollution is a serious issue. In order to adhere the concept of green development and rationally dispose polyethylene waste products, (PE)-modified asphalt was prepared using recycled (RPE) low-density (LDPE) as raw materials. The chemical structures RPE- LDPE-modified were studied Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), dispersion RPE fluorescence microscope (FM). Subsequ...

PURPOSE p27KIP1 (p27), originally identified as a cell cycle inhibitor, is now known to have multifaceted roles beyond cell cycle regulation. p27 is required for the normal histogenesis of the RPE, but the role of p27 in the mature RPE remains elusive. To define the role of p27 in the maintenance and function of the RPE, we investigated the effects of p27 deletion on the responses of the RPE af...

PURPOSE Understanding of the specialized function of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) can be aided by the identification and characterization of genes that are preferentially expressed in the RPE. With this aim, we undertook a systematic effort to identify and begin characterization of such genes. METHODS A subtracted bovine RPE cDNA library was generated through subtractive hybridization...

Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) has been hypothesized to function as an intercellular shuttle in the vertebrate eye, serving to transport retinoids between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors in the process by which visual pigment is regenerated after photolysis. This hypothesis was tested in preparations utilizing the toad (Bufo marinus) eye and purified,...

Age-related decreases in autophagy contribute to the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We have now studied the interaction between autophagy impaired in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the responses of macrophages. We find that dying RPE cells can activate the macrophage inflammasome and promote angiogenesis. In vitro, inhibiting rotenone-induced autophagy in RPE cells...

The Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) forms the primary site of pathology in several blinding retinopathies. RPE cultures are being continuously refined so that dynamic disease processes in this important monolayer can be faithfully studied outside the eye over longer periods. The RPE substrate, which mimics the supportive Bruch's membrane (BrM), plays a key role in determining how well in-vitro...