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LaVail MM, Nishikawa S, Steinberg RH, Naash MI, Duncan JL, Trautmann N, Matthes MT, Yasumura D, Lau-Villacorta C, Chen J, Peterson WM, Yang H, Flannery JG. Phenotypic characterization of P23H and S334ter rhodopsin transgenic rat models of inherited retinal degeneration. Exp Eye Res 2018; 167:56-90. [PMID: 29122605 PMCID: PMC5811379 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2017.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We produced 8 lines of transgenic (Tg) rats expressing one of two different rhodopsin mutations in albino Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Three lines were generated with a proline to histidine substitution at codon 23 (P23H), the most common autosomal dominant form of retinitis pigmentosa in the United States. Five lines were generated with a termination codon at position 334 (S334ter), resulting in a C-terminal truncated opsin protein lacking the last 15 amino acid residues and containing all of the phosphorylation sites involved in rhodopsin deactivation, as well as the terminal QVAPA residues important for rhodopsin deactivation and trafficking. The rates of photoreceptor (PR) degeneration in these models vary in proportion to the ratio of mutant to wild-type rhodopsin. The models have been widely studied, but many aspects of their phenotypes have not been described. Here we present a comprehensive study of the 8 Tg lines, including the time course of PR degeneration from the onset to one year of age, retinal structure by light and electron microscopy (EM), hemispheric asymmetry and gradients of rod and cone degeneration, rhodopsin content, gene dosage effect, rapid activation and invasion of the outer retina by presumptive microglia, rod outer segment disc shedding and phagocytosis by the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), and retinal function by the electroretinogram (ERG). The biphasic nature of PR cell death was noted, as was the lack of an injury-induced protective response in the rat models. EM analysis revealed the accumulation of submicron vesicular structures in the interphotoreceptor space during the peak period of PR outer segment degeneration in the S334ter lines. This is likely due to the elimination of the trafficking consensus domain as seen before as with other rhodopsin mutants lacking the C-terminal QVAPA. The 8 rhodopsin Tg lines have been, and will continue to be, extremely useful models for the experimental study of inherited retinal degenerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M LaVail
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
| | - Shimpei Nishikawa
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
| | - Roy H Steinberg
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA
| | - Muna I Naash
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, 3517 Cullen Blvd., Room 2011, Houston, TX 77204-5060, USA.
| | - Jacque L Duncan
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
| | - Nikolaus Trautmann
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
| | - Michael T Matthes
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
| | - Douglas Yasumura
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA
| | - Cathy Lau-Villacorta
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
| | - Jeannie Chen
- Zilka Neurogenetic Institute, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2821, USA.
| | - Ward M Peterson
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
| | - Haidong Yang
- Beckman Vision Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
| | - John G Flannery
- School of Optometry, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-2020, USA.
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Hao Z, Thomsen M, Postis VLG, Lesiuk A, Sharples D, Wang Y, Bartlam M, Goldman A. A Novel and Fast Purification Method for Nucleoside Transporters. Front Mol Biosci 2016; 3:23. [PMID: 27376071 PMCID: PMC4899457 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2016.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleoside transporters (NTs) play critical biological roles in humans, and to understand the molecular mechanism of nucleoside transport requires high-resolution structural information. However, the main bottleneck for structural analysis of NTs is the production of pure, stable, and high quality native protein for crystallization trials. Here we report a novel membrane protein expression and purification strategy, including construction of a high-yield membrane protein expression vector, and a new and fast purification protocol for NTs. The advantages of this strategy are the improved time efficiency, leading to high quality, active, stable membrane proteins, and the efficient use of reagents and consumables. Our strategy might serve as a useful point of reference for investigating NTs and other membrane proteins by clarifying the technical points of vector construction and improvements of membrane protein expression and purification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Hao
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai UniversityTianjin, China; Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of LeedsLeeds, UK
| | - Maren Thomsen
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds Leeds, UK
| | - Vincent L G Postis
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of LeedsLeeds, UK; Biomedicine Research Group, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Leeds Beckett UniversityLeeds, UK
| | - Amelia Lesiuk
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds Leeds, UK
| | - David Sharples
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds Leeds, UK
| | - Yingying Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University Tianjin, China
| | - Mark Bartlam
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of LeedsLeeds, UK; Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Nankai UniversityTianjin, China; State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Nankai UniversityTianjin, China
| | - Adrian Goldman
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of LeedsLeeds, UK; Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences, Nankai UniversityTianjin, China; Division of Biochemistry, Department of Biosciences, University of HelsinkiHelsinki, Finland
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Bales KL, Gross AK. Aberrant protein trafficking in retinal degenerations: The initial phase of retinal remodeling. Exp Eye Res 2015; 150:71-80. [PMID: 26632497 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2015.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Revised: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Retinal trafficking proteins are involved in molecular assemblies that govern protein transport, orchestrate cellular events involved in cilia formation, regulate signal transduction, autophagy and endocytic trafficking, all of which if not properly controlled initiate retinal degeneration. Improper function and or trafficking of these proteins and molecular networks they are involved in cause a detrimental cascade of neural retinal remodeling due to cell death, resulting as devastating blinding diseases. A universal finding in retinal degenerative diseases is the profound detection of retinal remodeling, occurring as a phased modification of neural retinal function and structure, which begins at the molecular level. Retinal remodeling instigated by aberrant trafficking of proteins encompasses many forms of retinal degenerations, such as the diverse forms of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and disorders that resemble RP through mutations in the rhodopsin gene, retinal ciliopathies, and some forms of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). As a large majority of genes associated with these different retinopathies are overlapping, it is imperative to understand their underlying molecular mechanisms. This review will discuss some of the most recent discoveries in vertebrate retinal remodeling and retinal degenerations caused by protein mistrafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie L Bales
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Alecia K Gross
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States.
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