Transcriptome of Human Primary Corneal Endothelial Cells with SLC4A11 deficiency
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ABSTRACT: Mutations in the solute-linked carrier family 4 member 11 (SLC4A11) gene are associated with several corneal endothelial dystrophies, in all of which visually significant cornea edema may require corneal transplantation. To elucidate the pathogenesis of SLC4A11 associated corneal endothelial dystrophies, we analyzed the transcriptome of SLC4A11 knock-down primary human corneal endothelium (SLC4A11 KD pHCEnC) and scrambled RNA treated pHCEnC as controls.
Project description:Mutations in the solute-linked carrier family 4 member 11 (SLC4A11) gene are associated with several corneal endothelial dystrophies, in all of which visually significant cornea edema may require corneal transplantation. To elucidate the pathogenesis of SLC4A11 associated corneal endothelial dystrophies, we analyzed the transcriptome of immortalized mouse corneal endothelial cells (Slc4a11-/- MCEnC) and Slc4a11+/+ MCEnC as controls.
Project description:Defining the normal and age-dependent HCEnC transcriptome will further refine our understanding of the functional roles that the endothelium plays in the cornea and will provide a basis upon which to compare transcriptomes of normal and dystrophic endothelium for the subsequent development of gene-targeted therapies. We used microarrays to comprehensively characterize human corneal endothelial cell (HCEnC) gene expression, age-dependent differential gene expression and to identify expressed genes mapped to chromosomal loci associated with the corneal endothelial dystrophies PPCD1, FECD4 and XECD
Project description:Aim: To generate human embryonic stem cell-derived corneal endothelial cells (hESC-CECs) for transplantation in patients with corneal endothelial dystrophies.
Project description:TGFBI associated Corneal Dystrophies (CD) are a group of inherited protein folding disorders linked to the mutation in the TGFBI gene. The resultant mutant protein (TGFBIp) is deposited as insoluble protein aggregates in various layers of the cornea leading to corneal opacity and poor vision. Depending on the type of mutation the deposits may be classified as amyloid fibrillar type, amorphous globular aggregates or a mixed form of both fibrils and amorphous aggregates. However, the molecular mechanism of the mutant-induced amyloidosis is not fully understood. This study aimsto characterize truncated peptides enriched in the amyloid aggregates and to identify the protein composition of the corneal aggregates derived from dystrophic patients using LC-MS/MS and compare the data with normal control cornea. We have identified several amyloid associated proteins, non-fibrillar amyloid associated proteins and TGFBIp as the major component of the corneal deposits. The results suggest that Apolipoprotein A-IV, Apolipoprotein E and Serine protease HtrA1 to be significantly enriched in the corneal deposits compared to the normal cornea. Comparative analysis of peptides from corneal deposits of patient and control identified several peptides of TGFBIp which are enriched in patient tissue and may form the core of corneal amyloids. Most of the peptides represent the 4th FAS-1 domain of the protein. Biophysical studies of two such peptides (G515DNRFSMLVAAIQSAGLTETLNR533 and Y571HIGDEILVSGGIGALVR588) demonstrate that they readily form amyloid fibrils under physiological conditions, confirming their intrinsic propensity to form amyloid fibrils. The identification of proteins which are involved in other protein misfolding disorders as well as identification of peptides from TGFBIp which form -amyloid core highlight that the mechanism of amyloid formation may share common molecular pathways.
Project description:TGFBIp is a constituent of the extracellular matrix in many human tissues including the cornea, where it is one of the most abundant proteins expressed. TGFBIp interacts with type I, II, IV, VI and XII collagens as well as several members of the integrin family, suggesting that it plays an important role in maintaining structural integrity and possibly corneal transparency as well. More than 60 point mutations in the TGFBI gene have been described in four types of corneal dystrophies (granular, lattice, Thiel-Behnke and Reis-Bückler). These defects are characterized by aberrant protein folding, leading to TGFBIp aggregation in the cornea and resulting in severe visual impairment and blindness. Several studies have focused on targeting TGFBIp expression in the cornea as a therapeutic approach to treat TGFBI-linked corneal dystrophies, but the effect of this approach on corneal homeostasis and integrity remained unknown. In the current study, we evaluated the histological and proteomic profiles of corneas from TGFBI-deficient mice as well as potential redundant functions of the paralogous protein periostin. The absence of TGFBIp in mouse corneas did not grossly affect the collagen scaffold, and periostin was unable to compensate for TGFBIp. However, a proteomic comparison of wild-type and TGFBI-/- mice revealed that 11 other proteins were differentially regulated, including type VI and XII collagens. Hence, the complete elimination of TGFBIp in the cornea as a treatment for TGFBI-linked corneal dystrophies may cause unintended consequences at the molecular level that are not evident at the macroscopic or functional levels.
Project description:The corneal endothelium plays a primary role in maintaining corneal homeostasis and clarity, and must be surgically replaced with allogenic donor corneal endothelium in the event of visually significant dysfunction. However, a worldwide shortage of donor corneal tissue has led to a search for alternative sources of transplantable tissue. Cultured human corneal endothelial cells (HCEnC) have been shown to restore corneal clarity in experimental models of corneal endothelial dysfunction in animal models, but characterization of cultured HCEnC remains incomplete. To this end, we utilized next-generation RNA sequencing technology to compare the transcriptomic profile of ex vivo human corneal endothelium (evHCEnC) with that of primary HCEnC and HCEnC lines, and to determine the utility of cultured and immortalized corneal endothelial cells as models of in vivo corneal endothelium. Multidimensional analyses of the transcriptome datasets demonstrated that primary HCEnC have a closer relationship to evHCEnC than do immortalized HCEnC. Subsequent analyses showed that the majority of the genes specifically expressed in HCEnC (not expressed in ex vivo corneal epithelium or fibroblasts) demonstrated a marked variability of expression in cultured cells compared with evHCEnC. In addition, genes associated with either corneal endothelial cell function or corneal endothelial dystrophies were investigated. Significant differences in gene expression and protein levels were observed in the cultured cells compared with evHCEnC for each of the genes tested except for AGBL1 and LOXHD1, which were not detected by RNA-seq or qPCR. Our transcriptomic analysis suggests that at a molecular level primary HCEnC most closely resemble evHCEC and thus represent a viable therapeutic option for managing corneal endothelial dysfunction. Our findings also suggest that investigators should perform an assessment of the entire transcriptome of cultured HCEnC prior to determination of the potential clinical utility of the cultured HCEnC for the management of corneal endothelial cell failure. Transcriptomes from ex vivo corneal endothelium, primary cultures and three cell lines were compared. Three samples of each endothelial cell group were submitted for RNA sequencing for a total of 15 samples. The transcriptome for the ex vivo corneal endothelium was used as the reference (i.e., proxy for in vivo corneal endothelium). Transcript abundances for a subset of genes associated with corneal endothelial cell function or disease were validated with qPCR and western blot. Samples of ex vivo endothelium used for validation were independent replicates not used for RNA-sequencing.
Project description:This dataset contains proteomic profiles of Descemet's membrane (DM) with corneal endothelial cells derived from patients with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) and non-FECD subjects by shotgun proteomics. FECD is the most common inherited corneal disease. Fibrillar focal excrescences, called guttae, and corneal edema due to corneal endothelial cell death result in progressive vision loss. Our dataset indicated that 32 distinctive molecules were expressed only in the FECD-DM but not in the DM of the control subject, possibly having important roles in the pathophysiology of FECD.
Project description:The corneal endothelium plays a primary role in maintaining corneal homeostasis and clarity, and must be surgically replaced with allogenic donor corneal endothelium in the event of visually significant dysfunction. However, a worldwide shortage of donor corneal tissue has led to a search for alternative sources of transplantable tissue. Cultured human corneal endothelial cells (HCEnC) have been shown to restore corneal clarity in experimental models of corneal endothelial dysfunction in animal models, but characterization of cultured HCEnC remains incomplete. To this end, we utilized next-generation RNA sequencing technology to compare the transcriptomic profile of ex vivo human corneal endothelium (evHCEnC) with that of primary HCEnC and HCEnC lines, and to determine the utility of cultured and immortalized corneal endothelial cells as models of in vivo corneal endothelium. Multidimensional analyses of the transcriptome datasets demonstrated that primary HCEnC have a closer relationship to evHCEnC than do immortalized HCEnC. Subsequent analyses showed that the majority of the genes specifically expressed in HCEnC (not expressed in ex vivo corneal epithelium or fibroblasts) demonstrated a marked variability of expression in cultured cells compared with evHCEnC. In addition, genes associated with either corneal endothelial cell function or corneal endothelial dystrophies were investigated. Significant differences in gene expression and protein levels were observed in the cultured cells compared with evHCEnC for each of the genes tested except for AGBL1 and LOXHD1, which were not detected by RNA-seq or qPCR. Our transcriptomic analysis suggests that at a molecular level primary HCEnC most closely resemble evHCEC and thus represent a viable therapeutic option for managing corneal endothelial dysfunction. Our findings also suggest that investigators should perform an assessment of the entire transcriptome of cultured HCEnC prior to determination of the potential clinical utility of the cultured HCEnC for the management of corneal endothelial cell failure.
Project description:Corneal endothelium is composed of a monolayer of corneal endothelial cells (CECs) in the inner layer of cornea, which is essential for maintaining corneal transparency. In order to better characterize CECs in different developmental stages, we profiled mRNA transcriptomes in human fetal and adult corneal endothelium with the goal to identify novel molecular markers in these cells. By comparing CECs with 12 other types of tissues, we identified 245 and 284 signature genes that are highly expressed in fetal and adult CECs, respectively. Functionally, these genes are characteristic of CECs, involving in cell adhesion, proteoglycan and sulfur metabolic process. Importantly, several of these genes are disease target genes in hereditary corneal dystrophies, consistent with their functional significance in CEC physiology. By comparing fetal and adult CECs, we also identified stage-specific markers associated with CEC maturation, such as the activation of the Wnt pathway genes in fetal, but not in adult CECs. Lastly, by immunohistochemistry of ocular tissues, we further confirmed the unique protein expression patterns for Wnt5a, S100A4, S100A6, and IER3, the four novel markers for either fetal or adult CECs. The identification of a new panel of molecular markers for fetal and mature CECs would be very useful for characterizing and quality controlling CECs through ex vivo expansion or stem cell differentiation for cell replacement therapy. mRNA profile between adult and fetal CECs by high-throughput sequencing
Project description:Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a vision impairing pathology affecting the endothelial cells of the cornea. To better understand the disease, we developed a method to cultivate FECD cells isolated from surgical specimens. Using gene profiling, we compared the mRNA profiles of passage 2 FECD cells with passage 2 non-pathological corneal endothelial cells isolated from eye bank donor corneas.