urvival and long ditance migration of brain-derived precuror cell tranplanted to adult rat retina

Neural precuror cell tranplanted to the adult retina can integrate into the hot. Thi i epecially true when the neural precuror rat cell line RN33B i ued. Thi cell line carrie the reporter gene LacZ and green fluorecent protein (GFP). In grafted rat eye, RN33B cell are localized acro the entire hot retina. In thi tudy, whole-mounted retina were analyzed to obtain a better undertanding of trangene-expreing cell and the migratory capacity of thee cell three and eight week pot-tranplantation. Quantification wa made of the number of β-galactoidae- and GFP-expreing cell with a emiautomated tereological cell counting ytem. Delineation of the ditribution area of the grafted cell wa alo performed. At three week, 68% of the grafted eye contained marker-expreing cell, wherea at eight week, only 35% of the eye contained uch cell. Counting of marker-expreing cell demontrated a lower number of trangene-expreing cell at three week compared with eight week pot-tranplantation. The ditribution pattern of marker gene-expreing cell revealed cell occupying up to 21% at three week and up to 68% at eight week of the entire hot retina. The precuror cell urvived in the adult retina although the mot triking feature of the RN33B cell line wa it extraordinary migratory capacity. Thi capability could be ueful if precuror cell are ued to deliver neceary gene or gene product that need to be ditributed over a large dieaed area.—Han E. Groniklau