The analysis of the phase transition of retinal pigment epithelium and the epigenetic regulation in age-related macular degeneration

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26861464
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Ophthalmology
• Research Institution: Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Hatanaka Hiroki 京都府立医科大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (80368050)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 組織線維化 / エピジェネティック / 眼内増殖性疾患 / 加齢黄斑変性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Age-related macular degeneration and proliferative vitreoretinopathy are the major cause of vision loss and poor visual prognosis due to the chorioretinal fibrosis. The epithelial mesenchymal transition of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) has been theorized to play a critical role in the development of such pathological fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the change of the molecular network in the fibrotic change of the human RPE cell line (ARPE-19) and to investigate if the fibrotic change of ARPE-19 could be inhibited by HDAC inhibitor. The morphology of the ARPE-19 cultured with TGFβ2 or TNFα was changed to the spindle shape. The expression of αSMA, CD44, and MMP9 were significantly increased by TGFβ2+TNFα. The morphological change of ARPE-19 cultured in the medium with TGFβ2 or TNFα was suppressed by a HDAC inhibitor.

Free Research Field

眼科学