Research Article

Glia-Neuron Interactions in the Retina Can Be Studied in Cocultures of Müller Cells and Retinal Ganglion Cells

Figure 6

Müller cells increase RGC survival in cocultures. Importance of presence of Müller cells for RGC survival was investigated by coculturing of the primary cell cultures. The presence of energy sufficient Müller cells for 24 hours significantly increased RGC survival by 1.3-fold ((a); ). A slightly increased RGC survival was found when Müller cells were prestarved for 24 hours before being inserted on top of the RGCs. In this condition the survival rate increased to 1.4-fold upon 24 hours of coculture ((b); ). Finally, simultaneous starvation of RGCs and Müller cells in cocultures resulted in a tendency towards increased RGC survival ((c); 1.2-fold, ). Bars represent mean values ± SEM of 4–9 experiments. Differences were tested using unpaired two-tailed -test.
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