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Glycogen phosphorylase isozyme pattern in mammalian retinal Müller (glial) cells and in astrocytes of retina and optic nerve
Author(s) -
PfeifferGuglielmi Brigitte,
Francke Mike,
Reichenbach Andreas,
Fleckenstein Burkhard,
Jung Günther,
Hamprecht Bernd
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
glia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.954
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1098-1136
pISSN - 0894-1491
DOI - 10.1002/glia.20102
Subject(s) - retina , biology , optic nerve , gene isoform , neuroglia , astrocyte , retinal , glycogen , isozyme , muller glia , glycogen phosphorylase , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , anatomy , central nervous system , biochemistry , enzyme , gene , progenitor cell , stem cell
Müller cells, the radially oriented dominant macroglial cells of the retina, are known to contain abundant glycogen as well as the key enzyme for its degradation, glycogen phosphorylase (GP), but the expressed isozyme pattern is unknown. To elucidate the isoform expression pattern, specific antisera directed against the brain (BB) and muscle (MM) isoforms of GP were applied to retinal sections, isolated Müller cells, and sections of the optic nerve. We show that Müller cells of rat, rabbit, guinea pig, and mouse retina exclusively express the BB isoform. Astrocytes of rat and rabbit optic nerve, as well as retina express only the BB isoform. In contrast, astrocytes in the brain and spinal cord as well as the epithelial cells of the pars caeca and of the ciliary body express both the BB and MM isoform. This result may indicate some differences in the role of glycogen in retinal macroglia and brain astrocytes, reflecting a local specialization of macroglia in the retina proper. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.