Membrane properties of retinal stem cells/progenitors

The membrane properties of cells help integrate extrinsic information relayed through growth factors, chemokines, extracellular matrix, gap junctions and neurotransmitters towards modulating cell-intrinsic properties, which in turn determine whether cells remain quiescent, proliferate, differentiate, establish contact with other cells or remove themselves by activating programmed cell death. This review highlights some of the membrane properties of early and late retinal stem cells/progenitors, which are likely to be helpful in the identification and enrichment of these cells and in understanding mechanisms underlying their maintenance and differentiation. Understanding of membrane properties of retinal stem cells/progenitors is essential for the successful formulation of approaches to treat retinal degeneration and diseases by cell therapy.