Journal: International Journal of Molecular Medicine
Article Title: Endothelial UNC5B regulates blood-retinal barrier homeostasis
doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2026.5771
Figure Lengend Snippet: UNC5B specifically regulates endothelium-pericyte interactions with no significant effect on pericyte function. HRMECs were transfected with lentiviral shUNC5B or shC and puromycin was used to select stably transfected HRMECs. (A) Following transduction, HRMECs were co-cultured with HRMVPCs for 6 h and then stained with NG2 (HRMVPCs) and IB4 (HRMECs) to detect the recruitment of pericytes toward endothelial cells. Scale bar, 100 μ m. (B) For BRB model formation, HRMVPCs were seeded in the lower compartment of the Transwell insert 1 h prior to the addition of HRMECs. Co-cultures were maintained for 2 days in complete DMEM. (C) Barrier properties of the BRB model were assessed by permeability analysis. Subsequently, HRMVPCs were transfected with lentiviral shUNC5B or shC, and puromycin was used to select stably transfected HRMVPCs. UNC5B expression was examined by (D) reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and (E) western blotting. (F) Apoptosis (measured by PI incorporation), (G) cell proliferation (measured by EdU incorporation) and (H) migration were examined using the described assays, and the results were quantified. Scale bar, 100 μ m. Data are presented as the mean ± SD. n=5 per group, except for western blot experiments (n=4). All statistical comparisons in this figure were performed between the C group and each of the other groups using one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett's multiple comparisons test. * P<0.05 vs. C. BRB, blood-retinal barrier; C, control; ECs, endothelial cells; EdU, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine; HRMEC, human retinal microvascular endothelial cell; HRMVPC, human retinal microvascular pericyte; IB4, isolectin B4; NG2, neuron-glial antigen 2; ns, not significant; PCs, pericytes; shRNA, short hairpin RNA; shC, scramble control shRNA; shUNC5B, UNC5B shRNA; UNC5B, unc-5 netrin receptor B.
Article Snippet: Subsequently, the endothelial cells were fluorescently labeled with isolectin B4 (IB4; 1:50; cat. no. I21411 ; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.), whereas pericytes were stained with an anti-neuron-glial antigen 2 (NG2) antibody (1:200; cat. no. sc-53389; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.) at 4°C overnight.
Techniques: Transfection, Stable Transfection, Transduction, Cell Culture, Staining, Permeability, Expressing, Reverse Transcription, Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Western Blot, Migration, Control, shRNA