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  • Title: Abnormal reactivity of muller cells after retinal detachment in mice deficient in GFAP and vimentin.
    Author: Verardo MR, Lewis GP, Takeda M, Linberg KA, Byun J, Luna G, Wilhelmsson U, Pekny M, Chen DF, Fisher SK.
    Journal: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci; 2008 Aug; 49(8):3659-65. PubMed ID: 18469190.
    Abstract:
    PURPOSE: To determine the roles of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin in Müller cell reactivity. METHODS: Retinal detachments were created in mice deficient for GFAP and vimentin (GFAP(-/-)vim(-/-)) and age-matched wild-type (wt) mice. The reactivity of the retina was studied by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. RESULTS: Müller cell morphology was different and glutamine synthetase immunoreactivity was reduced in the undisturbed GFAP(-/-)vim(-/-) retinas. After retinal detachment, Müller cells formed subretinal glial scars in the wt mice. In contrast, such scars were not observed in GFAP(-/-)vim(-/-) mice. Müller cells, which normally elongate and thicken in response to detachment, appeared compressed, thin, and "spikey" in the GFAP(-/-)vim(-/-) mice. The end foot region of Müller cells in the GFAP(-/-)vim(-/-) mice often sheared away from the rest of the retina during detachment, corroborating earlier results showing decreased resistance of this region in GFAP(-/-)vim(-/-) retinas to mechanical stress. In regions with end foot shearing, ganglion cells showed intense neurite sprouting, as revealed by anti-neurofilament labeling, a response rarely observed in wt mice. CONCLUSIONS: Müller cells are subtly different in the GFAP(-/-)vim(-/-) mouse retina before detachment. The end foot region of these cells may be structurally reinforced by the presence of the intermediate filament cytoskeleton, and our data suggest a critical role for these proteins in Müller cell reaction to retinal detachment and participation in subretinal gliosis.
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