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Gao L, Zhuang Y, Liu Z. Reducing Nogo-B Improves Hepatic Fibrosis by Inhibiting BACe1-Mediated Autophagy. Tissue Eng Regen Med 2024; 21:777-789. [PMID: 38630369 PMCID: PMC11187025 DOI: 10.1007/s13770-024-00641-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a histopathological change in the process of long-term liver injury caused by cytokine secretion and internal environment disturbance, resulting in excessive liver repair and fiber scar. Nogo-B protein is widely distributed in peripheral tissues and organs and can regulate the migration of endothelial cells by activating TGF-β1 in vascular remodeling after injury. Nogo-B has been shown to promote organ fibrosis. This study was to determine the role of Nogo-B in HF. METHODS An HF model was built by intraperitoneal injections with 20% carbon tetrachloride. Localization of Nogo-B was detected by FISH. The interaction between Nogo-B and BACE1 was confirmed by Co-IP. Autophagy flux was analyzed using tandem mRFP-GFP-LC3 fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy, and western blotting. Detection of serum AST and ALT and H&E staining were utilized to detect the degree of liver injury. The HF was evaluated by Masson trichromatic staining. RT-qPCR, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were employed to detect relevant indicators. RESULTS Reducing Nogo-B suppressed AST and ALT levels, the accumulation of collagen I and α-SMA, and expressions of pro-fibrotic genes in mouse liver. BACE1 was a potential downstream target of Nogo-B. Nogo-B was upregulated in TGF-β1-activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Knocking down Nogo-B caused the downregulation of pro-fibrotic genes and inhibited viability of HSCs. Nogo-B knockdown prevented CCL4-induced fibrosis, accompanied by downregulation of extracellular matrix. Nogo-B inhibited HSC autophagy and increased lipid accumulation. BACE1 knockdown inhibited HSC autophagy and activation in LX-2 cells. CONCLUSION Nogo-B knockdown prevents HF by directly inhibiting BACe1-mediated autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- LiLi Gao
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Medical Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Chinese PLA General Hospital, No.28, Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing City, 100853, China.
| | - YingJie Zhuang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Medical Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Chinese PLA General Hospital, No.28, Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing City, 100853, China
| | - ZhengYi Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Medical Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, Chinese PLA General Hospital, No.28, Fuxing Road, Haidian District, Beijing City, 100853, China
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Castro BFM, Steel JC, Layton CJ. AAV-Based Strategies for Treatment of Retinal and Choroidal Vascular Diseases: Advances in Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy Therapies. BioDrugs 2024; 38:73-93. [PMID: 37878215 PMCID: PMC10789843 DOI: 10.1007/s40259-023-00629-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are vascular diseases with high prevalence, ranking among the leading causes of blindness and vision loss worldwide. Despite being effective, current treatments for AMD and DR are burdensome for patients and clinicians, resulting in suboptimal compliance and real risk of vision loss. Thus, there is an unmet need for long-lasting alternatives with improved safety and efficacy. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is the leading vector for ocular gene delivery, given its ability to enable long-term expression while eliciting relatively mild immune responses. Progress has been made in AAV-based gene therapies for not only inherited retinal diseases but also acquired conditions with preclinical and clinical studies of AMD and DR showing promising results. These studies have explored several pathways involved in the disease pathogenesis, as well as different strategies to optimise gene delivery. These include engineered capsids with enhanced tropism to particular cell types, and expression cassettes incorporating elements for a targeted and controlled expression. Multiple-acting constructs have also been investigated, in addition to gene silencing and editing. Here, we provide an overview of strategies employing AAV-mediated gene delivery to treat AMD and DR. We discuss preclinical efficacy studies and present the latest data from clinical trials for both diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda F M Castro
- LVF Ophthalmology Research Centre, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4102, Australia.
- Greenslopes Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Jason C Steel
- LVF Ophthalmology Research Centre, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4102, Australia
- Greenslopes Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia
| | - Christopher J Layton
- LVF Ophthalmology Research Centre, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, 4102, Australia.
- Greenslopes Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
- School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia.
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He X, Fu Y, Ma L, Yao Y, Ge S, Yang Z, Fan X. AAV for Gene Therapy in Ocular Diseases: Progress and Prospects. RESEARCH (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2023; 6:0291. [PMID: 38188726 PMCID: PMC10768554 DOI: 10.34133/research.0291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Owing to the promising therapeutic effect and one-time treatment advantage, gene therapy may completely change the management of eye diseases, especially retinal diseases. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is considered one of the most promising viral gene delivery tools because it can infect various types of tissues and is considered as a relatively safe gene delivery vector. The eye is one of the most popular organs for gene therapy, since its limited volume is suitable for small doses of AAV stably transduction. Recently, an increasing number of clinical trials of AAV-mediated gene therapy are underway. This review summarizes the biological functions of AAV and its application in the treatment of various ocular diseases, as well as the characteristics of different AAV delivery routes in clinical applications. Here, the latest research progresses in AAV-mediated gene editing and silencing strategies to modify that the genetic ocular diseases are systematically outlined, especially by base editing and prime editing. We discuss the progress of AAV in ocular optogenetic therapy. We also summarize the application of AAV-mediated gene therapy in animal models and the difficulties in its clinical transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu He
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital,
Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yidian Fu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital,
Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Liang Ma
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital,
Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yizheng Yao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases and Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University; Clinical Research Center of Neurological Disease,
The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Shengfang Ge
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital,
Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital,
Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xianqun Fan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital,
Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, China
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Li J, Chen K, Li X, Zhang X, Zhang L, Yang Q, Xia Y, Xie C, Wang X, Tong J, Shen Y. Mechanistic insights into the alterations and regulation of the AKT signaling pathway in diabetic retinopathy. Cell Death Discov 2023; 9:418. [PMID: 37978169 PMCID: PMC10656479 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01717-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetes-related hyperglycemia directly inhibits the AKT signaling pathway by increasing oxidative stress or inhibiting growth factor expression, which leads to retinal cell apoptosis, nerve proliferation and fundus microvascular disease. However, due to compensatory vascular hyperplasia in the late stage of DR, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT cascade is activated, resulting in opposite levels of AKT regulation compared with the early stage. Studies have shown that many factors, including insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), VEGF and others, can regulate the AKT pathway. Disruption of the insulin pathway decreases AKT activation. IGF-1 downregulation decreases the activation of AKT in DR, which abrogates the neuroprotective effect, upregulates VEGF expression and thus induces neovascularization. Although inhibiting VEGF is the main treatment for neovascularization in DR, excessive inhibition may lead to apoptosis in inner retinal neurons. AKT pathway substrates, including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), forkhead box O (FOXO), glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), are a research focus. mTOR inhibitors can delay or prevent retinal microangiopathy, whereas low mTOR activity can decrease retinal protein synthesis. Inactivated AKT fails to inhibit FOXO and thus causes apoptosis. The GSK-3/Nrf2 cascade regulates oxidation and inflammation in DR. NF-κB is activated in diabetic retinas and is involved in inflammation and apoptosis. Many pathways or vital activities, such as the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, interact with the AKT pathway to influence DR development. Numerous regulatory methods can simultaneously impact the AKT pathway and other pathways, and it is essential to consider both the connections and interactions between these pathways. In this review, we summarize changes in the AKT signaling pathway in DR and targeted drugs based on these potential sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayuan Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kuangqi Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiang Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xuhong Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Liyue Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qianjie Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yutong Xia
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chen Xie
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiawei Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianping Tong
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Ye Shen
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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Liu S, Ju Y, Gu P. Experiment-Based Interventions to Diabetic Retinopathy: Present and Advances. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23137005. [PMID: 35806008 PMCID: PMC9267063 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23137005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy is the major blinding disease among working-age populations, which is becoming more significant due to the growth of diabetes. The metabolic-induced oxidative and inflammatory stress leads to the insult of neovascular unit, resulting in the core pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy. Existing therapies focus on the inflammation, oxidation, and angiogenesis phenomena of diabetic retinopathy, without effect to radically cure the disease. This review also summarizes novel therapeutic attempts for diabetic retinopathy along with their advantages and disadvantages, mainly focusing on those using cellular and genetic techniques to achieve remission on a fundamental level of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwei Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China; (S.L.); (Y.J.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Yahan Ju
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China; (S.L.); (Y.J.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Ping Gu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China; (S.L.); (Y.J.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai 200011, China
- Correspondence:
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