Incipient diabetic retinopathy - Early regulation of genes

The development of diabetic retinopathy is well characterized on a histological level. Early vascular alterations involve the loss of pericytes. Earlier mechanisms leading to the phenotype of diabetic retinopathy, which involves the complete neurovascular unit, are not yet fully understood. The gene expression data presented here is derived from microarrays and gives further insights into early genetic regulation in incipient diabetic retinopathy. 6-weeks-old STZ-diabetic animals (DC6W), and age-matched controls (NC6W) were analyzed after 6 (@6W) weeks.