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CXCR4 expression in vitreoretinal membranes

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, CHU, Saint-Pierre, Brussels, Belgium
² IRIBHM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
³ Department of Anatomo-Pathology, Institute Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
⁴ Department of Pharmacology, University of Health Sciences and LI, NEI, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
⁵ National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
François Willermain, IRIBHM, ULB-Erasme, Bat C, 808 Route de Lennik, 1070 Bruxelles, Belgium;
fwillermain{at}hotmail.com

ABSTRACT
Background/aim: Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and macular pucker (MP) vitreoretinal membranes are caused by abnormal cell migration. By their role in chemotactism, chemokine receptors represent good candidates to sustain this process. The authors thus investigated the expression of one of them, CXCR4, in these pathologies.

Methods: Three PVR and four MP membranes were surgically removed and processed for immunochemical studies with antibodies for CXCR4, cytokeratins or smooth muscle actin.

Results: CXCR4 expression was found in all membranes. There was no relation between severity of PVR or MP and presence of CXCR4. In addition, there was no difference in CXCR4 expression between MP and PVR.

Conclusion: CXCR4 is expressed in PVR and MP. Further experiments are needed to test if CXCR4 and other chemokine receptors are implicated in vitreoretinal membrane formation.

Keywords: vitreoretinal membranes; RPE cells; CXCR4; chemokine receptor