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An ex-vivo platform for manipulation and study of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells in long-term culture

An ex-vivo platform for manipulation and study of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells in long-term culture
An ex-vivo platform for manipulation and study of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells in long-term culture
Purpose: Impairment of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) is strongly correlated with degenerative retinas including Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Studies to elucidate dynamic intracellular processes underlying chronic degeneration of the RPE are limited by poor access of microscopes in the retinal space. Here we combine the use of an ex-vivo platform with live-confocal and ultrastructural imaging to study these events in individual RPE cells of mouse and human origin over long time periods. Our experimental model system provides a powerful tool to recapitulate chronic degenerative mechanisms in early AMD.

Methods: Confluent monolayers of RPE cells were grown on a synthetic porous support which mimics the Bruch’s membrane. Cultures were maintained overs several months. We analysed morphology and barrier properties of the RPE monolayer, including expression of junctional complexes, trans-epithelial resistance (TER) as well as directional secretion of key RPE proteins. We used a combination of live-confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ELISA and biochemical approaches.

Results: Ultrastructural studies show formation of a monolayer with features typical of RPE cells, including melanin pigmentation, apical microvilli and basal infoldings. Ultrastructural mapping of lysosomes and mitochondria provided convenient readouts of key organelles linked with RPE dysfunction at nanoscale resolution. A mobile custom-designed chamber allowed longitudinal analysis of live-cellular physiology using organelle-specific probes LysoSensor blue/yellow and MitoTracker in long-term cultures. For the first time we show that primary mouse RPE cells can be cultured for several weeks with an average TER measurement of 55 ±0.69 Ω/cm2. Directionally secreted proteins VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) and Aβ (Amyloid beta) were quantified using ELISA.

Conclusions: Our ex-vivo model system which mimics the RPE/Bruch’s complex can be subject to a high degree of experimental manipulation, and is a powerful tool to investigate dynamic intracellular events as well as ultrastructural changes associated with chronic RPE degeneration in the ageing retina. This tool may be utilized to study RPE physiology at single-molecule resolution, providing mechanistic insights into early AMD.
0146-0404
2332
Ratnayaka, J. Arjuna
002499b8-1a9f-45b6-9539-5ac145799dfd
Lynn, Savannah A.
de0c4ec2-8a3c-4b16-9e47-ea13abc32a3b
Griffiths, Helen
a097fdaa-d3d6-49a9-9c69-0e6e5a5d518b
Scott, Jenny
bdc803de-3082-4727-a4ca-f5a1cf3fcfcc
Cree, Angela
6724b71b-8828-4abb-971f-0856c2af555e
Lotery, Andrew J.
5ecc2d2d-d0b4-468f-ad2c-df7156f8e514
Ratnayaka, J. Arjuna
002499b8-1a9f-45b6-9539-5ac145799dfd
Lynn, Savannah A.
de0c4ec2-8a3c-4b16-9e47-ea13abc32a3b
Griffiths, Helen
a097fdaa-d3d6-49a9-9c69-0e6e5a5d518b
Scott, Jenny
bdc803de-3082-4727-a4ca-f5a1cf3fcfcc
Cree, Angela
6724b71b-8828-4abb-971f-0856c2af555e
Lotery, Andrew J.
5ecc2d2d-d0b4-468f-ad2c-df7156f8e514

Ratnayaka, J. Arjuna, Lynn, Savannah A., Griffiths, Helen, Scott, Jenny, Cree, Angela and Lotery, Andrew J. (2015) An ex-vivo platform for manipulation and study of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells in long-term culture. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 56 (7), 2332.

Record type: Meeting abstract

Abstract

Purpose: Impairment of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) is strongly correlated with degenerative retinas including Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Studies to elucidate dynamic intracellular processes underlying chronic degeneration of the RPE are limited by poor access of microscopes in the retinal space. Here we combine the use of an ex-vivo platform with live-confocal and ultrastructural imaging to study these events in individual RPE cells of mouse and human origin over long time periods. Our experimental model system provides a powerful tool to recapitulate chronic degenerative mechanisms in early AMD.

Methods: Confluent monolayers of RPE cells were grown on a synthetic porous support which mimics the Bruch’s membrane. Cultures were maintained overs several months. We analysed morphology and barrier properties of the RPE monolayer, including expression of junctional complexes, trans-epithelial resistance (TER) as well as directional secretion of key RPE proteins. We used a combination of live-confocal microscopy, immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ELISA and biochemical approaches.

Results: Ultrastructural studies show formation of a monolayer with features typical of RPE cells, including melanin pigmentation, apical microvilli and basal infoldings. Ultrastructural mapping of lysosomes and mitochondria provided convenient readouts of key organelles linked with RPE dysfunction at nanoscale resolution. A mobile custom-designed chamber allowed longitudinal analysis of live-cellular physiology using organelle-specific probes LysoSensor blue/yellow and MitoTracker in long-term cultures. For the first time we show that primary mouse RPE cells can be cultured for several weeks with an average TER measurement of 55 ±0.69 Ω/cm2. Directionally secreted proteins VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) and Aβ (Amyloid beta) were quantified using ELISA.

Conclusions: Our ex-vivo model system which mimics the RPE/Bruch’s complex can be subject to a high degree of experimental manipulation, and is a powerful tool to investigate dynamic intracellular events as well as ultrastructural changes associated with chronic RPE degeneration in the ageing retina. This tool may be utilized to study RPE physiology at single-molecule resolution, providing mechanistic insights into early AMD.

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Ratnayaka_ARVO 2015 Abstract
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Published date: 1 June 2015

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 423099
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/423099
ISSN: 0146-0404
PURE UUID: af472b90-9e0c-4389-bdcf-224ebec63b1a
ORCID for J. Arjuna Ratnayaka: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1027-6938
ORCID for Savannah A. Lynn: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2513-3144
ORCID for Angela Cree: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1987-8900
ORCID for Andrew J. Lotery: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5541-4305

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Date deposited: 14 Aug 2018 16:30
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 02:03

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Contributors

Author: Savannah A. Lynn ORCID iD
Author: Helen Griffiths
Author: Jenny Scott
Author: Angela Cree ORCID iD

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