RGD Reference Report - Prostaglandin E(2) enhances proliferation, dedifferentiation and stem-like properties of rat retinal Muller glial cells in vitro. - Rat Genome Database
AIMS: To investigate the differences of gene expression in rat retinal Muller glial cells after basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) treatment, and to explore the function of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) in the proliferation and dedifferentiation of rat retinal Muller glial cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A gene expression profile in rat retinal Muller glial cells after bFGF treatment, matching untreated cells, was conducted using gene array technology. The candidate gene selection was performed on GenMAPP/MAPPFinder. The functional effects of PGE(2) on the proliferation and dedifferentiation of Muller cells were further investigated. RESULTS: Gene array analysis identified that 298 genes were upregulated and 293 genes were downregulated. The GenMAPP/MAPPFinder results showed that the PG biosynthetic process had the highest correlation (Z score 8.803) with the stem cell characteristics of Muller cells. The quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results showed that PGE(2) can significantly upregulate the expression of cyclin D(1) in Muller cells. Also, the bromodeoxyuridine and flow cytometry results showed that PGE(2) can significantly increase the proportion of Muller cells in S phase. Furthermore, qRT-PCR showed that the expressions of nestin (a marker of neural stem/precursor cells) and Pax6 (a marker of retinal stem/precursor cells) were significantly upregulated by PGE(2) stimulation, and similar results were obtained by immunofluorescence staining. CONCLUSION: PGE(2) may enhance the proliferation, dedifferentiation, and stem-like properties of rat retinal Muller glial cells in vitro.