The purpose of this work was to investigate if MYC-dependent intracellular mitogenic pathway is active in cultures of human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells and whether myc antisense phosphorotioate oligonucleotides (c-myc-AS-ODN) are useful tools for inhibiting the proliferation of hRPE cells. Cultures of hRPE cells were established from adult human corneal donors. These cells were positively stained for cytokeratins and vimentin. Myc mRNA expression was determined by Northern blot analysis and it was determined by means of immunofluorescence if MYC was expressed. C-myc-AS-ODN effect on cell proliferation was estimated by evaluating the incorporation of 5-bromo-2'-deoxy-uridine into cellular DNA. Cell number was estimated by using a tetrazolium bromide based colorimetric method. Human RPE cells in culture expressed MYC and myc mRNA as well as prothymosin alpha mRNA--a gene whose transcription is under MYC control--indicating that MYC-dependent intracellular mitogenic pathway is active in these cells. In accordance with this, we found that blocking the expression of myc by the addition of c-myc-AS-ODN to the culture medium inhibited hRPE cell proliferation. The effect of the c-myc-AS-ODN was found to be sequence specific (the use of a control oligonucleotide with the same sequence but in an opposite direction had no effect) and dose-dependent (4 microM was the lowest effective dose tested). By using RT-PCR we found that the c-myc-AS-ODN inhibition of cell proliferation was related to a diminution in c-myc mRNA expression, and by immunofluorescence we detected a diminution in c-MYC protein staining in RPE cells after 48 hr of treatment with c-myc-AS-ODN. Furthermore, growth inhibition remained for at least 5 days after addition of a single dose of the c-myc-AS-ODN to the culture. We conclude that hRPE cell proliferation is under MYC control. Blocking the expression of myc by c-myc-AS-ODN inhibited hRPE cell proliferation. These findings establish a rationale for investigating the potential use of a c-myc-AS-ODN as a novel therapeutical tool in the treatment of Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy.