Treatment Paradigms for Retinal and Macular Diseases Using 3-D Retina Cultures Derived From Human Reporter Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines
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ABSTRACT: We discuss the use of pluripotent stem cell lines carrying fluorescent reporters driven by retinal promoters to derive three-dimensional (3-D) retina in culture and how this system can be exploited for elucidating human retinal biology, creating disease models in a dish, and designing targeted drug screens for retinal and macular degeneration. Furthermore, we realize that stem cell investigations are labor-intensive and require extensive resources. To expedite scientific discovery by sharing of resources and to avoid duplication of efforts, we propose the formation of a Retinal Stem Cell Consortium. In the field of vision, such collaborative approaches have been enormously successful in elucidating genetic susceptibility associated with age-related macular degeneration.
Project description:Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip data from genomic DNA of retinal pigment epithelium from Age-related Macular Degeneration patients or age-matched controls.
Project description:Dogs are commonly used models of human inherited retinal disorders. Because the dog retina contains a macula-like region, dogs are susceptible to maculopathies with many shared genetic etiologies with humans. Human macular gene expression has been characterized and provides insight into the underlying basis of macular disease. We sought to compare macular gene expression profiles in dogs and humans and interrogate macular disease-associated genes for differential expression between macula and periphery. RNA sequencing was performed on 8mm samples of the dog macular region and superior peripheral region, sampling retina and retinal pigmented epithelium/choroid separately. Read sequences were mapped to CanFam3.1 and raw read counts were analyzed to determine significantly differentially expressed genes between macula and periphery within each tissue. A similar analytic pipeline was used with a published dataset of human samples to allow direct dog/human comparisons. Pathways and processes involved in significantly DEGs were identified using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery. Dogs and humans shared the extent and direction of macular retinal differential gene expression, with multiple shared biological pathways implicated in differential expression. There were fewer similarities between dog and human in the supporting tissues of the retina (the RPE, choroid, sclera). Many genes implicated in heritable retinal and macular disorders in both dogs and humans were differentially expressed between macula and periphery. Approximately 2/3 of genes associated with human age-related macular degeneration were differentially expressed in at least one human tissue, whereas approximately half were differentially expressed in at least one dog tissue. This work underpins the dog macular retinal region as analogous to the human macula in terms of differential gene expression. Whilst age-related maculopathy has not been described in dogs, evidence supports the study of aging of the macula and susceptibility to age-associated pathology in dogs.
Project description:This project identifies and quantitates Hydroxyapatite binding proteins (HAP) in plasma genotyped for complement factor H (CFH) polymorphism in late stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients by sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra (SWATH). This study provides insights into factors contributing to the formation of sub-retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) deposits and explores the effect of AMD-associated CFH polymorphism on deposit composition.
Project description:Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the developed world. In this study we investigated changes in differentated human retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells to acute compared to chronic wounding. There are many interesting phenotypic and transcriptomic changes that occur after chronic wounding compared to acute wounding conditions which may have implications for AMD.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE28002: Gene expression of the whole mouse eye GSE28032: Epigenetic Regulation of IL17RC in Age-related Macular Degeneration (MeDIP-chip) Refer to individual Series
Project description:Inherited retinal diseases and aged related macular degeneration are main causes of blindness that involves irreversible photoreceptor loss. Gene therapy approaches do not prevent photoreceptor degeneration during disease progression, and to date protocols for generating photoreceptors from pluripotent stem cells do not exist. Therefore, transplantation of photoreceptors containing retinal organoids is considered a potential option. However, in vitro formation of organoids requires animal-derived materials and they vary considerably in cell composition between batches, which strongly limits their applications in therapy. Here, we show that human recombinant retina-specific laminin isoform LN523, normally present in the extra cellular matrix ECM surrounding photoreceptors, supports differentiation of pluripotent embryonic stem cells to photoreceptor progenitors in vitro. Using a rabbit macular degeneration model, the transplanted and engrafted cells mature in vivo and form synaptic connectivity with the host retina. Furthermore, addition of a rod-derived cone viability factor increased the formation of cone photoreceptors. These results may pave the way for cell therapy treatment of macular degeneration.
Project description:Inherited retinal diseases and aged related macular degeneration are main causes of blindness that involves irreversible photoreceptor loss. Gene therapy approaches do not prevent photoreceptor degeneration during disease progression, and to date protocols for generating photoreceptors from pluripotent stem cells do not exist. Therefore, transplantation of photoreceptors containing retinal organoids is considered a potential option. However, in vitro formation of organoids requires animal-derived materials and they vary considerably in cell composition between batches, which strongly limits their applications in therapy. Here, we show that human recombinant retina-specific laminin isoform LN523, normally present in the extra cellular matrix ECM surrounding photoreceptors, supports differentiation of pluripotent embryonic stem cells to photoreceptor progenitors in vitro. Using a rabbit macular degeneration model, the transplanted and engrafted cells mature in vivo and form synaptic connectivity with the host retina. Furthermore, addition of a rod-derived cone viability factor increased the formation of cone photoreceptors. These results may pave the way for cell therapy treatment of macular degeneration.
Project description:Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common, blinding disease of the elderly in which macular photoreceptor cells, retinal pigment epithelium, and choriocapillaris endothelial cells ultimately degenerate. Recent studies have found that degeneration of the choriocapillaris occurs early in this disease and that this endothelial cell dropout is concomitant with increased deposition of the complement membrane attack complex (MAC) at the choroidal endothelium. However, the impact of MAC injury to choroidal endothelial cells is poorly understood. To model this event in vitro, and to study the downstream consequences of MAC injury, endothelial cells were exposed to complement from human serum, compared to heat inactivated serum which lacks complement components. Cells exposed to complement components in human serum showed increased labeling with antibodies directed against the MAC, time and dose dependent cell death as assessed by lactate dehydrogenase assay, and increased permeability. RNA-Seq analysis following complement injury revealed increased expression of genes associated with angiogenesis including matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) 3 and 9, and VEGF-A. The MAC-induced increase in MMP9 RNA expression was validated using C5 depleted serum compared to C5 reconstitited serum. Increased levels of MMP9 were also determined using Western blot and zymography. These data suggest that, in addition to cell lysis, complement attack on choroidal endothelial cells promotes an angiogenic phenotype in surviving cells. RNA-Seq of RF/6A (cultured choroidal endothelial cells from Rhesus macaque) treated with either 50% heat-inactivated human serum ([CONTROL], n=3) or 50% normal human serum (active complement membrane attack complex [MAC], n=3)
Project description:Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness among the elderly. Using clinical samples and knockout mice, we reported that the m1A eraser ALKBH3 reshaped retinal metabolism to promote AMD. In retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the dm1ACRISPR system demonstrated that ALKBH3 demethylated the glycolytic enzyme HK2 to activate anaerobic glycolysis, producing excessive lactate. The lactate promoted histone lactylation at H3K18, which in turn bound to ALKBH3 to amplify its transcription, establishing a positive feedback loop. The ALKBH3 inhibitor HUHS015 disrupted this loop, effectively mitigating RPE degeneration. Furthermore, ALKBH3 directly targeted the pro-angiogenic factor VEGFA to modulate the metabolic cross-talk between RPE and choroidal capillaries, thus promoting choroidal neovascularization (CNV). HUHS015 inhibited CNV synergistically with the anti-VEGF drug Aflibercept. Our study provides critical insights into the molecular mechanisms and metabolic events facilitating the progression from RPE degeneration to CNV in AMD, laying the groundwork for new treatments of AMD.
Project description:This dataset represent supplemental data for publication submitted to Human Molecular Genetics in 2022. Briefly, Efemp1 R345W is a protein misfolding-prone mutation in humans causing Doyne honeycomb retinal dystrophy/Mallatia Leventinese (DHRD/ML), a disease sharing similar clinical pathology with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Efemp1R345W/R345W knock-in mice (Efemp1ki/ki mice) develop deposits on the basal side of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, which is complement C3- dependent. We assessed alternative complement pathway component factor B (Cfb) in sub-RPE deposit formation in Efemp1ki/ki mice.