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Engfer ZJ, Lewandowski D, Dong Z, Palczewska G, Zhang J, Kordecka K, Płaczkiewicz J, Panas D, Foik AT, Tabaka M, Palczewski K. Distinct mouse models of Stargardt disease display differences in pharmacological targeting of ceramides and inflammatory responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2314698120. [PMID: 38064509 PMCID: PMC10723050 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2314698120] [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: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in many visual cycle enzymes in photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells can lead to the chronic accumulation of toxic retinoid byproducts, which poison photoreceptors and the underlying RPE if left unchecked. Without a functional ATP-binding cassette, sub-family A, member 4 (ABCA4), there is an elevation of all-trans-retinal and prolonged buildup of all-trans-retinal adducts, resulting in a retinal degenerative disease known as Stargardt-1 disease. Even in this monogenic disorder, there is significant heterogeneity in the time to onset of symptoms among patients. Using a combination of molecular techniques, we studied Abca4 knockout (simulating human noncoding disease variants) and Abca4 knock-in mice (simulating human misfolded, catalytically inactive protein variants), which serve as models for Stargardt-1 disease. We compared the two strains to ascertain whether they exhibit differential responses to agents that affect cytokine signaling and/or ceramide metabolism, as alterations in either of these pathways can exacerbate retinal degenerative phenotypes. We found different degrees of responsiveness to maraviroc, a known immunomodulatory CCR5 antagonist, and to the ceramide-lowering agent AdipoRon, an agonist of the ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2 receptors. The two strains also display different degrees of transcriptional deviation from matched WT controls. Our phenotypic comparison of the two distinct Abca4 mutant-mouse models sheds light on potential therapeutic avenues previously unexplored in the treatment of Stargardt disease and provides a surrogate assay for assessing the effectiveness for genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary J. Engfer
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
| | - Dominik Lewandowski
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
| | - Zhiqian Dong
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
| | - Grazyna Palczewska
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
| | - Jianye Zhang
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
| | - Katarzyna Kordecka
- Ophthalmic Biology Group, International Centre for Translational Eye Research, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw01-224, Poland
| | - Jagoda Płaczkiewicz
- Ophthalmic Biology Group, International Centre for Translational Eye Research, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw01-224, Poland
| | - Damian Panas
- International Centre for Translational Eye Research, Warsaw01-224, Poland
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw01-224, Poland
| | - Andrzej T. Foik
- Ophthalmic Biology Group, International Centre for Translational Eye Research, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw01-224, Poland
| | - Marcin Tabaka
- International Centre for Translational Eye Research, Warsaw01-224, Poland
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw01-224, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Palczewski
- Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA92697
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