Retinal transplantation of neural progenitor cells derived from the brain of GFP transgenic mice

Neural progenitor cells isolated from the brains of neonatal GFP transgenic mice were grafted to the retina of RCS rats and rds and B6 mice. Expression of GFP and differentiation markers was evaluated at 1–4 weeks post-transplantation. Grafted cells maintained transgene expression throughout the 4-week period. At 1 week there was widespread migration of GFP + cells within the host retina and at 2 weeks evidence of neuronal differentiation (as shown by both marker expression and cell morphology), although integration at 4 weeks was limited to syngeneic recipients. Because brain-derived neural progenitor cells exhibit both neuronal and astrocytic differentiation in diseased and normal host retina, these cells provide a useful tool for studies of retinal regeneration.