Protocol for the isolation, culturing, and evaluation of primary Müller glial cells from pig retina as cellular models in health and disease
Müller glial cells maintain retinal homeostasis and provide structural and metabolic support. The pig eye closely resembles the human eye in morphology and physiology, offering strong translational potential. Here, we present a protocol for isolating and culturing primary Müller glial cells from pig retina to study their function in health and disease. We describe steps for eyeball dissection, retinal isolation, photoreceptor cell depletion, and retinal digestion. We then detail procedures for the selection, culture, and characterization of Müller glial cells.
Authors
- Yesim Tutuncu
- Uwe Wolfrum (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4756-5872)
- Nikolai Klymiuk
- Jan Motlik
Institutions
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics (CZ)
- Technical University of Munich (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- STAR Protocols
- Published
- 2026-03-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104483
- Primary Topic
- Retinal Development and Disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Akademie Věd České Republiky