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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Sep 6.
Published in final edited form as: Stem Cells. 2010 Mar 31;28(3):489–500. doi: 10.1002/stem.279

Figure 5.

Figure 5

(A): Gene network model for photoreceptor differentiation from human retinal stem cells (hRSCs). CHX10VP16 increases the population of competent immature cells by blocking proliferation, and facilitates the coexpression of subtype specification factors such as OTX2 and/or CRX which serve to bias these cells to adopt a photoreceptor cell fate. (B): Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) lineage analysis and apoptosis in CHX10VP16/OTX2/CRX transfected hRSC progeny. RT-PCR analysis of genes associated with neural (NESTIN, PAX6), mesodermal (GATA-1, BRACHYURY), and endodermal (GATA-4) identity in CHX10VP16/OTX2/CRX transfected hRSC progeny (right). Human embryoid body (hEB) samples were used as positive controls (left). The fate changes seen through transcriptional modulation are only within the retinal lineage. (C): Apoptosis in CHX10VP16/OTX2/CRX transfected hRSC progeny. Human retinal stem cell (hRSC) spheres transfected with control or CHX10VP16/OTX2/CRX were dissociated and subjected to immunocytochemistry for active caspase3 (an apoptotic cell marker). The apoptotic cell number was not significantly increased in CHX10VP16/OTX2/CRX-transfected hRSC progeny versus control (t = 0.24, p >.05). Abbreviations: hEB, human embryoid body; hRSC, human retinal stem cell; RPE, retinal progenitor.