Figure 2. Expression of metallothionein mRNAs in vitreous-treated retinal pigment epithelial cells

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells were incubated with or without vitreous for up to 48 h. RNA was extracted at each time point and RNAs for metallothionein-1a (MT-1a; quadrangle) and metallothionein-2a (MT-2a; diamond) were measured by qPCR. Ribosomal protein, large, P0 (RPLP0) was used as an internal standard to control for small differences in the amount of cDNA used in each reaction. Each point at a particular treatment time indicates a different RPE/vitreous donor pair. The number of donor/vitreous pairs examined at each time point is shown. At all time points, REST-XL analysis indicated that MT-1 and MT-2a mRNAs were significantly increased (p<0.01) in vitreous-treated RPE cells compared to cells in vitreous-free medium.