Skin cells help mice see the light again

U.S. researchers have discovered a technique that directly reprograms skin cells for rod-like photorerestors. After transplanting the lab-made rods into the eyes of blind mice, the animals were able to detect light. The study was published in Nature on April 15.
loss of the photoreceptor , the light-feeling cell , is a common result of most retinal diseases ( age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinal lesions ) , which can eventually lead to irreversible blindness in patients . Previously, scientists had been able to make stem cells from skin or blood cells in animal models and program them into photorestorms, which were then transplanted to the back of an animal's eye.
the new study, the researchers said it was possible to skip stem cell steps and reprogram skin cells directly into the retina. Inducing erythratic stem cell reprogramming can take up to 6 months to prepare cells or tissues for transplantation. In contrast, the direct reprogramming described in this study induced skin cells into portable functional light recipients in just 10 days. "This is the first study to show that direct chemical adaptation can produce retinal aldehyde-like cells, which provides us with a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and other retinal diseases caused by the absence of a sensor." Anand Swaroop, a senior researcher at the National Eye Institute (NEI), said, "People can also use this to quickly model diseases to study the mechanisms of disease." The study will also help us design better cell replacement methods. "
" our technology goes directly from skin cells into photoreses, without the need for intermediate stem cells. Sai Chavala, lead researcher on the study and CEO and president of CIRC Healthcare's Retinal Innovation Center, said.
With NEI's support, the Sai team identified five compounds that drive the transformation of fibrous parent cells into rod-like cells (CiPCs), which together chemically mediate molecular path paths associated with rod-like photoresortor cells. A gene expression map analysis of CiPCs, the source of embryonic fibroblast cells in mice, found that the genes of the new cells were similar to those of the rod cells. At the same time, genes associated with skin cell function were downgraded.
, the researchers implanted CiPCs into the eyes of 14 retinal degenerative mice to test whether the cells could restore pupil reflexes and vision. They found that after 3 to 4 weeks of transplantation, six of the mice had improved pupil response in low-light conditions. They also assessed the visual function recovery of the six mice using an anaerobic test (in which visual mice tended to prefer a dark environment). The results showed that the six mice who received the transplant stayed longer in the dark than the blind mice.
even mice with severe retinal degeneration respond to transplants, " he said. "These findings suggest that the improvements observed are due to laboratory-made photoreceress, not to the host's existing photorecenstors," said Biraj Mahato of the University of North Texas Health Science Center, lead author of the paper. Importantly
the researchers figured out how this direct reprogramming is regulated at the cellular level. The findings will help researchers apply the technique not only to the retina, but also to many other types of cells. Swaroop said. (Source: Tang One Dust, China Science Daily)
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