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Ripolles-Garcia A, Dolgova N, Phillips MJ, Savina S, Ludwig AL, Stuedemann SA, Nlebedum U, Wolfe JH, Garden OA, Maminishkis A, Amaral J, Bharti K, Gamm DM, Aguirre GD, Beltran WA. Systemic immunosuppression promotes survival and integration of subretinally implanted human ESC-derived photoreceptor precursors in dogs. Stem Cell Reports 2022; 17:1824-1841. [PMID: 35905738 PMCID: PMC9391525 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Regenerative therapies aimed at replacing photoreceptors are a promising approach for the treatment of otherwise incurable causes of blindness. However, such therapies still face significant hurdles, including the need to improve subretinal delivery and long-term survival rate of transplanted cells, and promote sufficient integration into the host retina. Here, we successfully delivered in vitro-derived human photoreceptor precursor cells (PRPCs; also known as immature photoreceptors) to the subretinal space of seven normal and three rcd1/PDE6B mutant dogs with advanced inherited retinal degeneration. Notably, while these xenografts were rejected in dogs that were not immunosuppressed, transplants in most dogs receiving systemic immunosuppression survived up to 3–5 months postinjection. Moreover, differentiation of donor PRPCs into photoreceptors with synaptic pedicle-like structures that established contact with second-order neurons was enhanced in rcd1/PDE6B mutant dogs. Together, our findings set the stage for evaluating functional vision restoration following photoreceptor replacement in canine models of inherited retinal degeneration. In vivo multimodal imaging identified early signs of transplant rejection Systemic immunosuppression was necessary for long-term survival of xenotransplants Human donor photoreceptors integrated and differentiated mostly into M/L cones A degenerating retinal environment enhances structural synaptogenesis in PRPCs
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Ripolles-Garcia
- Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies, Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Natalia Dolgova
- Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies, Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - M Joseph Phillips
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Svetlana Savina
- Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies, Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Allison L Ludwig
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Sara A Stuedemann
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Uchenna Nlebedum
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - John H Wolfe
- Walter Flato Goodman Center for Comparative Medical Genetics, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Oliver A Garden
- Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies, Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Arvydas Maminishkis
- Section on Epithelial and Retinal Physiology and Disease, National Eye Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Juan Amaral
- Office of Scientific Director, National Eye Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kapil Bharti
- Unit on Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research, National Eye Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David M Gamm
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Gustavo D Aguirre
- Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies, Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - William A Beltran
- Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies, Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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Abstract
Development of multicellular organisms depends on patterning and growth mechanisms encoded in the genome, but also on the physical properties and mechanical interactions of the constituent cells that interpret these genetic cues. This fundamental biological problem requires integrated studies at multiple levels of biological organization: from genes, to cell behaviors, to tissue morphogenesis. We have recently combined functional genetics with live imaging approaches in embryos of the insect Tribolium castaneum, in order to understand their remarkable transformation from a uniform single-layered blastoderm into a condensed multi-layered embryo covered by extensive extra-embryonic tissues. We first developed a quick and reliable methodology to fluorescently label various cell components in entire Tribolium embryos. Live imaging of labeled embryos at single cell resolution provided detailed descriptions of cell behaviors and tissue movements during normal embryogenesis. We then compared cell and tissue dynamics between wild-type and genetically perturbed embryos that exhibited altered relative proportions of constituent tissues. This systematic comparison led to a qualitative model of the molecular, cellular and tissue interactions that orchestrate the observed epithelial rearrangements. We expect this work to establish the Tribolium embryo as a powerful and attractive model system for biologists and biophysicists interested in the molecular, cellular and mechanical control of tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Benton
- Laboratory for Development and Evolution; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge, UK
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