Surface ectoderm

Abstract: Aim To investigate how signals from lens regulate retinal vascular development and neovascularization. Methods Le-Cre transgenic mouse line was employed to inactivate Smad4 in the surface ectoderm selectively. Standard histological and whole-mount retina staining were employed to reveal morphological changes of retinal vasculature in Smad4 defective eye. cDNA microarray and subsequent analyses were conducted to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the vascular phenotype. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was carried out to verify the microarrays results. Results We found that inactivation of Smad4 specifically on surface ectoderm leads to a variety of retinal vasculature anomalies. Microarray analyses and qPCR revealed that Sema3c, Sema3e, Nrp1, Tie1, Sox7, Sox17, and Sox18 are significantly affected in the knockout retinas at different developmental stages, suggesting that ocular surface ectoderm-derived Smad4 can signal to the retina and regulates various angiogenic signaling in the retina. Conclusion Our data suggest that the cross-talk between ocular surface ectoderm and retina is important for retinal vasculature development, and Smad4 regulates various signaling associated with sprouting angiogenesis, vascular remodeling and maturation in the retina of mice.

Abstract: The forebrain develops into the telencephalon, diencephalon, and optic vesicle (OV). The OV further develops into the optic cup, the inner and outer layers of which develop into the neural retina and retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), respectively. We studied the change in fate of the OV by using embryonic transplantation and explant culture methods. OVs excised from 10-somite stage chick embryos were freed from surrounding tissues (the surface ectoderm and mesenchyme) and were transplanted back to their original position in host embryos. Expression of neural retina-specific genes, such as Rax and Vsx2 (Chx10), was downregulated in the transplants. Instead, expression of the telencephalon-specific gene Emx1 emerged in the proximal region of the transplants, and in the distal part of the transplants close to the epidermis, expression of an RPE-specific gene Mitf was observed. Explant culture studies showed that when OVs were cultured alone, Rax was continuously expressed regardless of surrounding tissues (mesenchyme and epidermis). When OVs without surrounding tissues were cultured in close contact with the anterior forebrain, Rax expression became downregulated in the explants, and Emx1 expression became upregulated. These findings indicate that chick OVs at stage 10 are bi-potential with respect to their developmental fates, either for the neural retina or for the telencephalon, and that the surrounding tissues have a pivotal role in their actual fates. An in vitro tissue culture model suggests that under the influence of the anterior forebrain and/or its surrounding tissues, the OV changes its fate from the retina to the telencephalon.

Abstract: In order to better understand the mechanisms underlying the physiology of vision, it is a necessary prerequisite to know the embryological bases of eye development and associated tissues. Eye formation starts during the fourth week of human embryonic life, when the ocular primordium can be distinguished from the lateral diverticula of the anterior brain by complex morphogenetic movements. It requires the input of various germ layers of the embryo: neuroectoderm, surface ectoderm, mesoderm and neural crest cells, in order to elaborate the different components. Perturbations of the cellular interactions and molecular mechanisms mobilized during these critical steps are responsible for varied congenital anomalies. We will discuss, relative to this, the embryological processes where their misregulation are at the root of ocular malformations and which are developed in more detail in other chapters of this book.

Abstract: The eye is a complex organ with highly specialized constituent tissues derived from different primordial cell lineages. The retina develops from neuroectoderm via the optic vesicle, the corneal epithelium is descended from surface ectoderm, while the iris and corneal stroma have a neural crest origin. Recent work with pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in culture has revealed a previously under-appreciated level of intrinsic cellular self-organization, with a focus on the retina and retinal cells. We recently demonstrated the generation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of a self-formed ectodermal autonomous multi-zone (SEAM) of ocular cells. The concentric SEAM mimics whole-eye development because cell location within different zones is indicative of ocular cell lineage, spanning the ocular surface ectoderm, lens, neuro-retina, and retinal pigment epithelium. Therefore, SEAM represents a promising resource for new research of ocular morphogenesis and development. Moreover, we successfully isolated corneal epithelial progenitor cells and fabricated corneal epithelial tissue from PSCs. This approach has translational potential for treating severe corneal epithelial disease by transplantation of PSC-derived corneal epithelial tissue. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the corneal epithelial tissue, we have started a first-in-human clinical study for patients with corneal epithelial stem cell deficiency, which began last year.