Retinal Progenitor Cells Exhibit Cadherin-Dependent Chemotaxis across Transplantable Extracellular Matrix of In Vitro Developmental and Adult Models

Retinal degeneration is an escalating public health challenge, as diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa cause irreversible vision loss in millions of adults each year. Regenerative medicine has pioneered the development of stem cell replacement therapies, which treat degeneration by replacing damaged retinal neurons with transplanted stem-like cells (SCs). While the collective migration of SCs plays critical roles during retinal development, our understanding of collective SC behaviors within biomaterials transplanted into adult tissue remains understudied. This project examines the potential therapeutic impacts of collective SC migration during transplantation by correlating the expression of cadherin, cell-cell cohesion molecules that maintain intercellular communication during development, with receptor proteins of chemoattractant molecules prevalent in degenerated adult tissue. Experiments examine these well-conserved biomechanisms by using two different model organisms: Drosophila melanogaster, a seminal model for retinal development, and Mus, an important preclinical model for transplantation. Results indicate that SCs from both animal models significantly upregulate cadherin expression to achieve more directed collective migration towards species-specific chemoattractants and exhibit longer distance motility upon different extracellular matrix substrates.