Polarity and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of retinal pigment epithelial cells in proliferative vitreoretinopathy

PeerJ

article

Hui Zou¹  Chenli Shan¹  Linlin Ma¹  Jia Liu¹  Ning Yang¹  Jinsong Zhao¹ 

[1] Eye Center, The Second Hospital of Jilin University

关键词: Proliferative vitreoretinopathy;    Retinal pigment epithelium;    Epithelial-mesenchymal transition;    Tight junctions;    Adherens junctions;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.10136

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Under physiological conditions, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a cellular monolayer composed of mitotically quiescent cells. Tight junctions and adherens junctions maintain the polarity of RPE cells, and are required for cellular functions. In proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), upon retinal tear, RPE cells lose cell-cell contact, undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and ultimately transform into myofibroblasts, leading to the formation of fibrocellular membranes on both surfaces of the detached retina and on the posterior hyaloids, which causes tractional retinal detachment. In PVR, RPE cells are crucial contributors, and multiple signaling pathways, including the SMAD-dependent pathway, Rho pathway, MAPK pathways, Jagged/Notch pathway, and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway are activated. These pathways mediate the EMT of RPE cells, which play a key role in the pathogenesis of PVR. This review summarizes the current body of knowledge on the polarized phenotype of RPE, the role of cell-cell contact, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the RPE EMT in PVR, emphasizing key insights into potential approaches to prevent PVR.

【 授权许可】

CC BY