TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-BETA-3 IS MITOGENIC FOR RAT RETINAL PROGENITOR CELLS IN-VITRO

Recent data indicate that the process of neurogenesis in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) may be regulated by peptide growth facto rs, such as epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-alpha, and acidic or basic fibroblast growth factor. we have investigated wh ether members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) family also play a role in this process and have found that TGF beta-3 is mi togenic for embryonic rat retinal cells in vitro. We also show that TG F beta-3 stimulates production of retinal amacrine cells while photore ceptor production remains unchanged. These data demonstrate that TGF b eta-3 can regulate cell proliferation in the CNS during development an d can also influence commitment or differentiation, or both, of neural progenitor cells to particular retinal fates. (C) 1995 John Wiley & S ons, Inc.