The structure and development of Xenopus laevis cornea.

The African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, is a widely used model organism for tissue development. We have followed the process of corneal development closely in Xenopus and examined the corneal ultrastructure at each stage during its formation. Xenopus cornea development starts at stage 25 from a simple embryonic epidermis overlying the developing optic vesicle. After detachment of the lens placode which takes place around stage 30, cranial neural crest cells start to invade the space between the lens and the embryonic epidermis to construct the corneal endothelium. At stage 41, a second wave of migratory cells containing presumptive keratocytes invades the matrix leading to the formation of inner cornea and outer cornea. Three-dimensional electron microscopic examination shows that a unique cell mass, the stroma attracting center, connects the two layers like the center pole of a tent. After stage 48, many secondary stromal keratocytes individually migrate to the center and form the stroma layer. At stage 60, the stroma space is largely filled by collagen lamellae and keratocytes, and the stroma attracting center disappears. At early metamorphosis, the embryonic epithelium gradually changes to the adult corneal epithelium, which is covered by microvilli. Around stage 62 the embryonic epithelium thickens and a massive cell death is observed in the epithelium, coinciding with eyelid opening. After metamorphosis, the frog cornea has attained the adult structure of three cellular layers, epithelium, stroma, and endothelium, and two acellular layers between the cellular layers, namely the Bowman's layer and Descemet's membrane. After initial completion, Xenopus cornea, in particular the stroma, continues to thicken and enlarge throughout the lifetime of the animal. In the adult, a p63 positive limbus-like wavy structure is observed at the peripheral edge of the cornea. Proliferation analysis shows that the basal corneal epithelial cells actively divide and there are a small number of proliferating cells among the stroma and endothelial cells. This study shows that the development and structure of Xenopus cornea is largely conserved with human although there are some unique processes in Xenopus.

Topical recombinant human Nerve growth factor (rh-NGF) is neuroprotective to retinal ganglion cells by targeting secondary degeneration.

Optic neuropathy is a major cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, and no effective treatment is currently available. Secondary degeneration is believed to be the major contributor to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death, the endpoint of optic neuropathy. Partial optic nerve transection (pONT) is an established model of optic neuropathy. Although the mechanisms of primary and secondary degeneration have been delineated in this model, until now how this is influenced by therapy is not well-understood. In this article, we describe a clinically translatable topical, neuroprotective treatment (recombinant human nerve growth factor, rh-NGF) predominantly targeting secondary degeneration in a pONT rat model. Topical application of rh-NGF twice daily for 3 weeks significantly improves RGC survival as shown by reduced RGC apoptosis in vivo and increased RGC population in the inferior retina, which is predominantly affected in this model by secondary degeneration. Topical rh-NGF also promotes greater axonal survival and inhibits astrocyte activity in the optic nerve. Collectively, these results suggest that topical rh-NGF exhibits neuroprotective effects on retinal neurons via influencing secondary degeneration process. As topical rh-NGF is already involved in early clinical trials, this highlights its potential in multiple indications in patients, including those affected by glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

Efficacy and Safety of Human Retinal Progenitor Cells.

PURPOSE: We assessed the long-term efficacy and safety of human retinal progenitor cells (hRPC) using established rodent models. METHODS: Efficacy of hRPC was tested initially in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) dystrophic rats immunosuppressed with cyclosporine/dexamethasone. Due to adverse effects of dexamethasone, this drug was omitted from a subsequent dose-ranging study, where different hRPC doses were tested for their ability to preserve visual function (measured by optokinetic head tracking) and retinal structure in RCS rats at 3 to 6 months after grafting. Safety of hRPC was assessed by subretinal transplantation into wild type (WT) rats and NIH-III nude mice, with analysis at 3 to 6 and 9 months after grafting, respectively. RESULTS: The optimal dose of hRPC for preserving visual function/retinal structure in dystrophic rats was 50,000 to 100,000 cells. Human retinal progenitor cells integrated/survived in dystrophic and WT rat retina up to 6 months after grafting and expressed nestin, vimentin, GFAP, and ßIII tubulin. Vision and retinal structure remained normal in WT rats injected with hRPC and there was no evidence of tumors. A comparison between dexamethasone-treated and untreated dystrophic rats at 3 months after grafting revealed an unexpected reduction in the baseline visual acuity of dexamethasone-treated animals. CONCLUSIONS: Human retinal progenitor cells appear safe and efficacious in the preclinical models used here. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: Human retinal progenitor cells could be deployed during early stages of retinal degeneration or in regions of intact retina, without adverse effects on visual function. The ability of dexamethasone to reduce baseline visual acuity in RCS dystrophic rats has important implications for the interpretation of preclinical and clinical cell transplant studies.