A model of cultivated corneal endothelial transplantation for corneal endothelial dysfunction was established in primates whose corneal endothelial cells have less proliferative capacity in vivo. Our results suggest that this is a useful model for long-term observation in advance of the future clinical application of cultivated corneal endothelial transplantation.
Development of the daily rhythm of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) mRNA in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a main locus of circadian oscillation, was investigated by in situ hybridization. The phenotypic expression of VIP neurons occurred in two developmental stages in the ventrolateral portion of the SCN (VLSCN): the first was found before birth in the rostral part, and the second occurred in the main part between postnatal day (P) 10 and P20. The latter period coincided with the time that the massive VIP-efferent fibers project to the subparaventricular zone. In the adult and P20, the VIP mRNA signals of the SCN showed a clear diurnal rhythm with a trough in the light phase and a peak in the dark phase under light/dark (LD) conditions, but under constant dark (DD) conditions, no VIP mRNA fluctuations were observed. At P10, however, it was found that SCN VIP mRNA showed a peak at the transition from night to day and a trough at early dark period in LD conditions, in sharp contrast to the night peak in the adult rhythm. In DD conditions, a light-phase peak and a dark-phase trough were also observed at P10, contrasting the arrhythmic feature at adult stage. The present findings suggest that daily VIP rhythm was first generated in the early developed clock-controlled rostral SCN neurons, and later regulated by light-dependent main VLSCN neurons.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.