Original ArticlesLocation, substructure, and composition of basal laminar drusen compared with drusen associated with aging and age-related macular degeneration☆
Section snippets
Methods
Antibodies directed against amyloid P component, complement C5, fibrinogen, and HLA-DR were obtained from Dako (Carpinteria, California); antibodies directed against fibronectin and laminin were obtained from Chemicon International (Temecula, California), and antilaminin and antifibronectin antibodies were purchased from Telios (San Diego, California). Clostridium perfringens neuraminidase and antibodies directed against transthyretin were obtained from Boehringer-Mannheim (Indianapolis,
Results
Conventional periodic acid Schiff and hemotoxylin- and eosin-stained sections confirm that the deposits in the “basal laminar” phenotype are located between the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch membrane, a location consistent with the use of the term drusen. Basal laminar drusen show amorphous or finely granular material deposited in discrete nodules or mounded deposits, which may be fused along their lateral borders. Like drusen associated with age-related macular degeneration, these
Discussion
In this study, we sought to examine the substructural and compositional characteristics of basal laminar drusen, a drusen phenotype associated with an early adult onset form of macular degeneration. Basal laminar drusen are located between the basal lamina of the retinal pigment epithelium and the inner collagenous layer of Bruch membrane, thus warranting the moniker of drusen.4 In contrast to previous interpretations, we provide evidence that basal laminar drusen share common topographic,
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Dr J. Donald M. Gass for his insightful discussion and help in specimen acquisition. In addition, we wish to thank Lynn Gardner, Heidi Hoopes, Robert Folberg, MD, and Cory Speth for their assistance.
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This study was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants EY06463/(Dr Hageman), EY11515/(Dr Hageman), and an unrestricted grant to the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The University of Iowa, from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. Dr. Hageman is the recipient of a Research to Prevent Blindness Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award.