Spatial and temporal analyses of retinal inflammatory environment involving the onset and progression of photoreceptor degeneration

Photoreceptors in the retina receive light and convert it into electrical signals. Congenital or acquired factors can cause the degeneration of photoreceptors, which leads to blindness. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) exists beneath the photoreceptors and regulates the turnover of photoreceptors by phagocytosis. Microglia is resident immune cells in the retina and plays important roles in the retinal homeostasis. Although RPE and microglia are thought to be closely involved in the onset and progression of photoreceptor degeneration, the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In order to reveal the molecular mechanisms, we planned to investigate the genome-wide gene expression profiles of retina and RPE in an oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model mouse.