The mean number of rods in 1mm2 was significantly greater in clusterin injected RP retinas (postnatal (P) 30, P45, P60, & P75) than in age-matched saline injected RP retinas (P<0.01).
TRPM-2/clusterin is induced de novo during the regression of the prostate and other hormone-dependent tissues after hormone ablation, and is over-expressed in several human neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and retinitis pigmentosa.
To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying altered clusterin expression in retinal degeneration, the cellular distribution of clusterin mRNA in normal and in retinitis pigmentosa-affected retinas was compared using in situ hybridization.
Increased expression of clusterin has been identified in several cases of tissues undergoing apoptosis (programmed cell death), and our finding suggests that the degenerative changes in advanced RP may represent another example of apoptosis, possibly with common causative mechanisms.