Figure 3: Host and donor photoreceptors exchange fluorescent reporter proteins as determined by flow cytometry.

NrlGFP post-mitotic photoreceptor precursor donor cells were transplanted into DsRed hosts and examined by flow cytometry 5-6 weeks post transplantation. (a), box (25–75% percentile) and whiskers (_min/max) plot showing median (line) % of GFP⁺ only and GFP⁺/DsRed⁺ photoreceptors within each host retina (N=18 retinae). ***P<0.001, paired t-test. (b–d), representative flow cytometry plots for adult (b) wild-type (negative control), (c) DsRed (positive control) and (d) NrlGFP (positive control) retinae. Pink box shows gating for GFP⁺ cells. (e,f), representative plots from an example of a host retina showing (e) % of total retinal cells that were GFP⁺ (pink box) and (f) the proportion of these that were GFP⁺ only (left pink box) or GFP⁺/DsRed⁺ (right pink box). (g), plot showing the proportion of CD45+ cells within the GFP⁺ population shown in (e,f).