Fig. 3: Characteristics of ciRPE cells.

a Representative immunostaining showing that MEF-derived ciRPE cells express ZO-1, Pax6, Rpe65, Mitf, Best1 and Cralbp. Scale bars, 50 μm. b Representative Z-stack confocal micrographs showing ciRPE cells with typical polarized expression of RPE markers. ZO-1 (green) demonstrates apical localization (top), while Best1 (red) shows basolateral localization (bottom). Scale bars, 10 μm. c Representative transmission electron microscopy image of ciRPE cells showing apical microvilli (yellow arrows), melanin granules (red arrows) and tight junctions (black arrows). Scale bars, 1 μm. d Representative confocal micrograph showing phagocytosis of POSs (green) by ciRPEs. The apical sides of ciRPE cells are stained with ZO-1(violet), whereas nuclei are counterstained with DAPI (blue). Scale bars, 50 μm. e Apical and basal secretion of PEDF and VEGF by MEFs, ciRPE, and pRPE cells cultured on Transwells. Each group was compared to the ciRPE group within apical and basal compartments (n = 6 independent biological samples per group). f Representative morphological images showing dome structures formed by ciRPE cells during in vitro culture. The red arrows indicate the dome morphology observed under different phase-contrast microscopy conditions. Scale bars, 50 μm. g TEER measurements of MEFs, ciRPE, and pRPE cells over time in culture (n = 6 independent biological samples per group). Data are mean ± SD. One-way ANOVA was used to assess statistical significance. Three independent experiments were performed with similar results and representative results are shown. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.