Purpose: To describe the finding of tenascin C and cystatin-C in the intraschisis cavities of pediatric patients with intraretinal schisis cavities.
Methods: Three patients with congenital X-linked retinoschisis (CXLRS) and one girl with clinical retinoschisis underwent vitrectomy for vision-threatening schisis cavities. At the time of surgery undiluted samples of intraschisis fluid and vitreous fluid from four eyes (three male and one female) were obtained and analyzed by gel electrophoresis and protein sequencing for the presence of tenascin C and cystatin-C.
Results: Tenascin C and cystatin-C were found in all four samples of fluid from the intraschisis cavities, including a girl with a clinical presentation of CXLRS. The vitreous samples did not have detectable levels of either protein as determined by gel electrophoresis.
Conclusions: Tenascin C and cystatin-C levels are elevated in intraschisis cavity fluid. Interestingly, this was also found in a girl not carrying a mutation in the retinoschisin gene, indicating that elevated concentrations of tenascin C and cystatin-C result from pathologic changes in the retina and not from the presence of aberrant retinoschisin.