Reduced expreion of the adheren junction protein cadherin-5 in a diabetic retina

PURPOE: Tranvacular leakage occur in diabetic retinopathy. The tight junction protein occludin and zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1) and adheren junction protein cadherin-5 are critical to the maintenance of endothelial barrier. We report a comparion of junction protein expreion in the normal and diabetic retina. METHOD: Cae report. Potmortem retinal cryoection were prepared from the left eye of a 73-year-old woman with diabetic retinopathy. Cryoection were immunotained for cadherin-5, occludin, and ZO-1 and compared with retinal cryoection from the right eye of a 72-year-old man with no progreion of retinal dieae. REULT: Immunofluorecence howed poitive retinal veel taining for occludin and ZO-1 in both eye and cadherin-5 in the normal eye but reduced cadherin-5 taining in the retinal veel of the diabetic eye. CONCLUION: Increae in tranvacular leakage oberved in diabetic retinal vaculature may be aociated with reduction in the expreion of the critical adheren junction protein, cadherin-5.