Attenuated glial reactions and photoreceptor degeneration after retinal detachment in mice deficient in glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin

PURPOSE. To characterize the reactions of retinal glial cells (astrocytes and Muller cells) to retinal injury in mice that lack glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin (GFAP(-/-)Vim(-/-)) and to determine the role of glial cells in retinal detachment (RD)-induced photoreceptor degeneration. METHODS. RD was induced by subretinal injection of sodium hyaluronate in adult wild-type (WT) and 6FAP(-/-)Vim(-/-) mice. Astroglial reaction and subsequent monocyte recruitment were quantified by measuring extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) and c-fos activation and the level of expression of chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and by counting monocytes/microglia in the detached retinas. Immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used. RD-induced photoreceptor degeneration was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and measurement of outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness. RESULTS. RD-induced reactive gliosis, characterized by GFAP and vimentin upregulation, Erk and c-fos activation, MCP-1 induction, and increased monocyte recruitment in WT mice. Absence of GFAP and vimentin effectively attenuated reactive responses of retinal glial cells and monocyte infiltration. As a result, detached retinas of GFAP(-/-)Vim(-/-) mice exhibited significantly reduced numbers of TUNEL-positive photoreceptor cells and increased ONL thickness compared with those of WT mice. CONCLUSIONS. The absence of GFAP and vimentin attenuates RD-induced reactive gliosis and, subsequently, limits photoreceptor degeneration. Results of this study indicate that reactive retinal glial cells contribute critically to retinal damage induced by RD and provide a new avenue for limiting photoreceptor degeneration associated with RD and other retinal diseases or damage.