Gene

Kinase

Programmed cell death

Cell biology

Induced pluripotent stem cell

Retinal pigment epithelium

Biology

Retinal

Transplantation

Apoptosis

Stem cell

Cancer research

Biochemistry

Rho-associated protein kinase

Embryonic stem cell

Internal medicine

Medicine

Cell

Viability assay

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Currently, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) transplantation includes sheet and single-cell transplantation, the latter of which includes cell death and may be highly immunogenic, and there are some issues to be improved in single-cell transplantation. Y-27632 is an inhibitor of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK), the downstream kinase of Rho. We herein investigated the effect of Y-27632 in vitro on retinal pigment epithelium derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS-RPE cells), and also its effects in vivo on the transplantation of iPS-RPE cell suspensions. As a result, the addition of Y-27632 in vitro showed suppression of apoptosis, promotion of cell adhesion, and higher proliferation and pigmentation of iPS-RPE cells. Y-27632 also increased the viability of the transplant without showing obvious retinal toxicity in human iPS-RPE transplantation into monkey subretinal space in vivo. Therefore, it is possible that ROCK inhibitors can improve the engraftment of iPS-RPE cell suspensions after transplantation.

A ROCK Inhibitor Promotes Graft Survival during Transplantation of iPS-Cell-Derived Retinal Cells