The work presented in this thesis is a collection of papers from research spanning over 25 years. The research commenced whilst the candidate was employed in the Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology and later the Department of Anatomy at the University of Glasgow and continued in the School of Anatomy & Human Biology, The University of Western Australia. The research focuses on the biology of immune cells, primarily dendritic cells (DC), macrophages and mast cells, in the context of various components of the eye, including the aqueous outflow pathways, iris, cornea, ciliary body, choroid and retina, and the supporting tissues (lids and conjunctiva). The studies are broad in the sense that they deal with the role of these cells in development (such as removing the vascular networks around the developing lens), their normal homeostasis and function (distribution, phenotype, turnover and functional activity) and their role in models of a number of eye diseases. The findings are important in understanding the pathogenesis of diseases including bacterial keratitis, anterior uveitis, autoimmune uveoretinitis (endogenous posterior uveitis), toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis, age-related macular degeneration and ocular allergic responses, namely any ocular disease with an immune-mediated pathology. Many of the findings in the enclosed papers were firsts in the field and have shaped our understanding of ocular inflammatory disease. In part the success of some these studies was due to the novel method of performing immunostaining on tissue wholemounts dissected from small rodent eyes. These preparations provided unique ‘plan’ views of the complex networks of DCs and macrophages in the iris and choroid which previously had not been appreciated. In addition, the wholemount approach used in the characterisation and study of immune cells in delicate eye tissues, were applied to related studies of the meninges and choroid plexus of the brain. These studies were amongst the first to fully characterise distinct DC and macrophage networks in the pia, arachnoid, dura and choroid plexus. The research presented in the more recent publications have utilised a range of transgenic, knock-out, congenic and chimeric mouse models to elucidate the function of immune cells in the eye.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:547316 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | McMenamin, Paul G. |
| Publisher | University of Glasgow |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3187/ |
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