Transplantation of Neural Progenitor Cells into the Developing Retina of the Brazilian Opossum: An in vivo System for Studying Stem/Progenitor Cell Plasticity

Sakaguchi, Donald S.; Hoffelen, Samantha J. Van; Theusch, Elizabeth; Parker, Emily D.; Orasky, J.; Harper, Matthew M.; Benediktsson, Adrienne M.; Young, Michael J.

doi:10.1159/000082275

Cited by 57 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Unlike eutherian young, newborn opossums possess the ability to completely heal partial and complete transections of the spinal cord, a capacity that disappears in an anterior-to-posterior progression over the first two weeks of postnatal life (for reviews, see Nicholls and Saunders 1996;Nicholls et al 1999;Ferretti et al 2003;Wintzer et al 2004). In the peripheral nervous system, stem cell transplantation experiments have revealed the potential of undifferentiated neuronal precursor cells to repair damage in the retina (Sakaguchi et al , 2004(Sakaguchi et al , 2005D.S. Sakaguchi, pers.…”

Section: Genome Research 1209mentioning

confidence: 99%

The opossum genome: Insights and opportunities from an alternative mammal

Samollow¹

2008

Genome Res.

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The strategic importance of the genome sequence of the gray, short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, accrues from both the unique phylogenetic position of metatherian (marsupial) mammals and the fundamental biologic characteristics of metatherians that distinguish them from other mammalian species. Metatherian and eutherian (placental) mammals are more closely related to one another than to other vertebrate groups, and owing to this close relationship they share fundamentally similar genetic structures and molecular processes. However, during their long evolutionary separation these alternative mammals have developed distinctive anatomical, physiologic, and genetic features that hold tremendous potential for examining relationships between the molecular structures of mammalian genomes and the functional attributes of their components. Comparative analyses using the opossum genome have already provided a wealth of new evidence regarding the importance of noncoding elements in the evolution of mammalian genomes, the role of transposable elements in driving genomic innovation, and the relationships between recombination rate, nucleotide composition, and the genomic distributions of repetitive elements. The genome sequence is also beginning to enlarge our understanding of the evolution and function of the vertebrate immune system, and it provides an alternative model for investigating mechanisms of genomic imprinting. Equally important, availability of the genome sequence is fostering the development of new research tools for physical and functional genomic analyses of M. domestica that are expanding its versatility as an experimental system for a broad range of research applications in basic biology and biomedically oriented research.Compilation and publication of the genome sequence of the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, a metatherian (marsupial) mammal (Mikkelsen et al. 2007b), create unique opportunities for investigating the evolutionary processes that have shaped the structural and functional attributes of mammalian and other vertebrate genomes. These opportunities arise from both the unique phylogenetic position of metatherians in the vertebrate scheme and some fundamental characteristics of metatherians that distinguish them from other mammalian species.Modern mammals comprise three major lineages (Fig. 1). Judged from multiple nuclear sequence and mtDNA alignments, the most closely related of these, the Metatheria and Eutheria (placental mammals), diverged from their most recent common ancestor ∼173-190 million years ago (Mya) (Kumar and Hedges 1998;Woodburne et al. 2003;van Rheede et al. 2006). The other major clade, the Prototheria, of which the egg-laying monotremes (platypus and four species of echidnas) are the only living representatives, branched off 20-35 million years (Myr) prior to the metatherian-eutherian divergence (Phillips and Penny 2003;Woodburne et al. 2003;van Rheede et al. 2006). 2 By way of reference, the separation of mammals and birds occurred at least 310 Mya (d...

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Section: Genome Research 1209mentioning

confidence: 99%

The opossum genome: Insights and opportunities from an alternative mammal

Samollow¹

2008

Genome Res.

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“…For example, AHPCs in slice cultures of rodent brains, or with astrocyte co-cultures have exhibited more mature phenotypes and properties of functional neurons (Recknor et al 2006;Song et al 2002a, b;van Praag et al 2002). In addition, AHPCs are capable of surviving following transplant into developing Takahashi et al 1998), normal healthy (Grozdanic et al 2006;Sakaguchi et al 2004), and damaged or diseased retinas (Grozdanic et al 2006;Guo et al 2003;Young et al 2000), as well as into the brain (Gage et al 1995), indicating they may be useful in cell-replacement therapies. Taken together, these results suggest AHPCs can differentiate into CNS cell types by sensing their surrounding environment and responding to signals instructing them to differentiate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrins Contribute to Initial Morphological Development and Process Outgrowth in Rat Adult Hippocampal Progenitor Cells

Harper

Blong

et al. 2009

J Mol Neurosci

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Adult rat hippocampal progenitor cells (AHPCs) are self-renewing, multipotent neural progenitor cells (NPCs) that can differentiate into neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. AHPCs contact a variety of molecular cues within their surrounding microenvironment via integrins. We hypothesize that integrin receptors are important for NPCs. In this study, we have examined the distribution of integrins in neuronal-like, oligodendrocyte-like, and astrocyte-like AHPCs when grown on substrates that support integrin-mediated adhesion (laminin, fibronectin), and those that do not (poly-L: -ornithine, PLO) using immunocytochemistry as well as characterized the phenotypic differentiation of AHPCs plated on laminin and fibronectin. Focal adhesions were prominent in AHPCs plated on purified substrates, but were also found in AHPCs plated on PLO. The focal adhesions observed in AHPCs plated on PLO substrates may be formed by self-adhesion to the endogenously produced laminin or fibronectin. We have demonstrated that integrins contribute to the initial morphological differentiation of AHPCs, as inhibition of fibronectin binding with the competitive inhibitor echistatin significantly decreased the number of processes and microspikes present in treated cells, and also decreased overall cell area. Finally, we have characterized the genetic profile of a subset of integrins and integrin-related genes in the AHPCs using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. These results demonstrate an important role of integrins, in vitro, for the initial morphological differentiation of AHPCs.

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“…Indeed, several lines of evidence suggested the influence of the host tissue on donor cell integration also within the retina. Transplantation of in vitro expanded retinal stem/progenitor cells into the embryonic-like retina of the newborn opossum allowed significant increase in the number of integrated donor cells when compared to more mature stages [50]. Furthermore, deficiencies of reactive gliosis indicators such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) or vimentin were suggested to have positive effects on retinal cell integration into the adult mouse retina [51].…”

Section: Influence Of the Host Environment On Donor Photoreceptor Intmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photoreceptor transplantation into the mammalian retina

Santos-Ferreira

Postel

Ader

2014

Curr Ophthalmol Rep

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Loss of the light-sensing photoreceptors results in vision impairment and blindness, representing one of the main causes for disability in industrialized societies. Although the pathophysiology of diseases such as agerelated macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, or conerod dystrophies is highly heterogeneous, the final endpoint of such conditions is the degeneration of photoreceptors with no established therapies currently available for their replacement. However, recent preclinical studies demonstrated the feasibility of cell transplantation into the adult mammalian retina. Indeed, young post-mitotic photoreceptors represent a suitable cell type for such replacement approach as they showed proper integration and maturation following grafting. Importantly, donor photoreceptors connected to endogenous neurons allowing some functional rescue in mouse models of night blindness. Furthermore, methods for the generation of transplantable photoreceptors from pluripotent stem cells in vitro have been established. Here, we will review recent developments in the field of photoreceptor transplantation and will discuss still existing roadblocks toward clinical application.

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Transplantation of Neural Progenitor Cells into the Developing Retina of the Brazilian Opossum: An in vivo System for Studying Stem/Progenitor Cell Plasticity

Cited by 57 publications

References 78 publications

The opossum genome: Insights and opportunities from an alternative mammal

The opossum genome: Insights and opportunities from an alternative mammal

Integrins Contribute to Initial Morphological Development and Process Outgrowth in Rat Adult Hippocampal Progenitor Cells

Photoreceptor transplantation into the mammalian retina

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