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Cvekl A, Vijg J. Aging of the eye: Lessons from cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 99:102407. [PMID: 38977082 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Aging is the greatest risk factor for chronic human diseases, including many eye diseases. Geroscience aims to understand the effects of the aging process on these diseases, including the genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms that underlie the increased risk of disease over the lifetime. Understanding of the aging eye increases general knowledge of the cellular physiology impacted by aging processes at various biological extremes. Two major diseases, age-related cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are caused by dysfunction of the lens and retina, respectively. Lens transparency and light refraction are mediated by lens fiber cells lacking nuclei and other organelles, which provides a unique opportunity to study a single aging hallmark, i.e., loss of proteostasis, within an environment of limited metabolism. In AMD, local dysfunction of the photoreceptors/retinal pigmented epithelium/Bruch's membrane/choriocapillaris complex in the macula leads to the loss of photoreceptors and eventually loss of central vision, and is driven by nearly all the hallmarks of aging and shares features with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The aging eye can function as a model for studying basic mechanisms of aging and, vice versa, well-defined hallmarks of aging can be used as tools to understand age-related eye disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ales Cvekl
- Departments of Genetics and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
| | - Jan Vijg
- Departments of Genetics and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
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2
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Becker S, L'Ecuyer Z, Jones BW, Zouache MA, McDonnell FS, Vinberg F. Modeling complex age-related eye disease. Prog Retin Eye Res 2024; 100:101247. [PMID: 38365085 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2024.101247] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Modeling complex eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma poses significant challenges, since these conditions depend highly on age-related changes that occur over several decades, with many contributing factors remaining unknown. Although both diseases exhibit a relatively high heritability of >50%, a large proportion of individuals carrying AMD- or glaucoma-associated genetic risk variants will never develop these diseases. Furthermore, several environmental and lifestyle factors contribute to and modulate the pathogenesis and progression of AMD and glaucoma. Several strategies replicate the impact of genetic risk variants, pathobiological pathways and environmental and lifestyle factors in AMD and glaucoma in mice and other species. In this review we will primarily discuss the most commonly available mouse models, which have and will likely continue to improve our understanding of the pathobiology of age-related eye diseases. Uncertainties persist whether small animal models can truly recapitulate disease progression and vision loss in patients, raising doubts regarding their usefulness when testing novel gene or drug therapies. We will elaborate on concerns that relate to shorter lifespan, body size and allometries, lack of macula and a true lamina cribrosa, as well as absence and sequence disparities of certain genes and differences in their chromosomal location in mice. Since biological, rather than chronological, age likely predisposes an organism for both glaucoma and AMD, more rapidly aging organisms like small rodents may open up possibilities that will make research of these diseases more timely and financially feasible. On the other hand, due to the above-mentioned anatomical and physiological features, as well as pharmacokinetic and -dynamic differences small animal models are not ideal to study the natural progression of vision loss or the efficacy and safety of novel therapies. In this context, we will also discuss the advantages and pitfalls of alternative models that include larger species, such as non-human primates and rabbits, patient-derived retinal organoids, and human organ donor eyes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Becker
- John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Zia L'Ecuyer
- John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Bryan W Jones
- John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Moussa A Zouache
- John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Fiona S McDonnell
- John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Frans Vinberg
- John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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Latifi-Navid H, Barzegar Behrooz A, Jamehdor S, Davari M, Latifinavid M, Zolfaghari N, Piroozmand S, Taghizadeh S, Bourbour M, Shemshaki G, Latifi-Navid S, Arab SS, Soheili ZS, Ahmadieh H, Sheibani N. Construction of an Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration Diagnostic and Therapeutic Molecular Network Using Multi-Layer Network Analysis, a Fuzzy Logic Model, and Deep Learning Techniques: Are Retinal and Brain Neurodegenerative Disorders Related? Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:1555. [PMID: 38004422 PMCID: PMC10674956 DOI: 10.3390/ph16111555] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment in the elderly. The current management of nAMD is limited and involves regular intravitreal administration of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF). However, the effectiveness of these treatments is limited by overlapping and compensatory pathways leading to unresponsiveness to anti-VEGF treatments in a significant portion of nAMD patients. Therefore, a system view of pathways involved in pathophysiology of nAMD will have significant clinical value. The aim of this study was to identify proteins, miRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), various metabolites, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with a significant role in the pathogenesis of nAMD. To accomplish this goal, we conducted a multi-layer network analysis, which identified 30 key genes, six miRNAs, and four lncRNAs. We also found three key metabolites that are common with AMD, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and schizophrenia. Moreover, we identified nine key SNPs and their related genes that are common among AMD, AD, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson's disease (PD). Thus, our findings suggest that there exists a connection between nAMD and the aforementioned neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, our study also demonstrates the effectiveness of using artificial intelligence, specifically the LSTM network, a fuzzy logic model, and genetic algorithms, to identify important metabolites in complex metabolic pathways to open new avenues for the design and/or repurposing of drugs for nAMD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Latifi-Navid
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran 1497716316, Iran; (H.L.-N.); (M.D.); (N.Z.); (S.P.); (S.T.); (Z.-S.S.)
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Amir Barzegar Behrooz
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada;
- Electrophysiology Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1416634793, Iran
| | - Saleh Jamehdor
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan 6517838636, Iran;
| | - Maliheh Davari
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran 1497716316, Iran; (H.L.-N.); (M.D.); (N.Z.); (S.P.); (S.T.); (Z.-S.S.)
| | - Masoud Latifinavid
- Department of Mechatronic Engineering, University of Turkish Aeronautical Association, 06790 Ankara, Turkey;
| | - Narges Zolfaghari
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran 1497716316, Iran; (H.L.-N.); (M.D.); (N.Z.); (S.P.); (S.T.); (Z.-S.S.)
| | - Somayeh Piroozmand
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran 1497716316, Iran; (H.L.-N.); (M.D.); (N.Z.); (S.P.); (S.T.); (Z.-S.S.)
| | - Sepideh Taghizadeh
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran 1497716316, Iran; (H.L.-N.); (M.D.); (N.Z.); (S.P.); (S.T.); (Z.-S.S.)
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Mahsa Bourbour
- Department of Biotechnology, Alzahra University, Tehran 1993893973, Iran;
| | - Golnaz Shemshaki
- Department of Studies in Zoology, University of Mysore, Manasagangothri, Mysore 570005, India;
| | - Saeid Latifi-Navid
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil 5619911367, Iran;
| | - Seyed Shahriar Arab
- Biophysics Department, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 1411713116, Iran;
| | - Zahra-Soheila Soheili
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran 1497716316, Iran; (H.L.-N.); (M.D.); (N.Z.); (S.P.); (S.T.); (Z.-S.S.)
| | - Hamid Ahmadieh
- Ophthalmic Research Center, Research Institute for Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1666673111, Iran;
| | - Nader Sheibani
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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Liu Q, Sun S, Yang Z, Shao Y, Li X. Serum Amyloid A 4 as a Common Marker of Persistent Inflammation in Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy. J Inflamm Res 2023; 16:3783-3797. [PMID: 37663754 PMCID: PMC10474861 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s417791] [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: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and its subtype, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), are common choroidal vasculopathies. Although they share many common clinical manifestations and treatment strategies, a lack of comprehensive analysis of these conditions means that it is difficult for researchers to further explore the common pathomechanisms of nAMD and PCV. The aim of this study was to characterize aqueous humor (AH) proteome alterations and identify a novel biomarker related to both nAMD and PCV. Methods Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was adopted to analyze the AH proteomes of nAMD, PCV and controls. The target protein was validated using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and subjected to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results A total of 737 different proteins were identified in all the groups, of which 544 were quantifiable. The bioinformatics analysis suggested that immune response activation is the essential event in both nAMD and PCV. Serum amyloid A (SAA) 4 is closely associated with a number of chronic inflammatory diseases, and it was enriched as the hub protein. ROC analysis showed that SAA4 could distinguish both nAMD and PCV from the controls. Conclusion This comprehensive study provides insights into, and furthers our understanding of, the pathological mechanism of nAMD and PCV. Additionally, the SAA4 level alteration may serve as a common biomarker of nAMD and PCV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyan Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Retinal Functions and Diseases, Tianjin Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Disease, Eye Institute and School of Optometry, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, 300384, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Ophthalmology, Anhui NO.2 Provincial People’s hospital, Hefei, 230041, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shuo Sun
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Retinal Functions and Diseases, Tianjin Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Disease, Eye Institute and School of Optometry, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, 300384, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhengwei Yang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Retinal Functions and Diseases, Tianjin Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Disease, Eye Institute and School of Optometry, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, 300384, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan Shao
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Retinal Functions and Diseases, Tianjin Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Disease, Eye Institute and School of Optometry, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, 300384, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaorong Li
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Retinal Functions and Diseases, Tianjin Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Ocular Disease, Eye Institute and School of Optometry, Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Tianjin, 300384, People’s Republic of China
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5
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Hicks CW, Wang D, Lin FR, Reed N, Windham BG, Selvin E. Peripheral Neuropathy and Vision and Hearing Impairment in US Adults With and Without Diabetes. Am J Epidemiol 2023; 192:237-245. [PMID: 36345076 PMCID: PMC10308505 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwac195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
We aimed to assess the associations of peripheral neuropathy (PN) with vision and hearing impairment among adults aged ≥40 years who attended the lower-extremity disease exam for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (United States, 1999-2004). Overall, 11.8% (standard error (SE), 0.5) of adults had diabetes, 13.2% (SE, 0.5) had PN (26.6% (SE, 1.4) with diabetes, 11.4% (SE, 0.5) without diabetes), 1.6% (SE, 0.1) had vision impairment, and 15.4% (SE, 1.1) had hearing impairment. The prevalence of vision impairment was 3.89% (95% CI: 2.99, 5.05) among adults with PN and 1.29% (95% CI: 1.04, 1.60) among adults without PN (P < 0.001). After adjustment, PN was associated with vision impairment overall (odds ratio (OR) = 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 2.13) and among adults without diabetes (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.17, 2.77) but not among adults with diabetes (P for interaction = 0.018). The prevalence of hearing impairment was 26.5% (95% CI: 20.4, 33.7) among adults with PN and 14.2% (95% CI: 12.4, 16.3) among adults without PN (P < 0.001). The association of PN with moderate/severe hearing impairment was significant overall (OR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.40, 4.64) and among adults without diabetes (OR = 3.26, 95% CI: 1.80, 5.91). Overall, these findings suggest an association between peripheral and audiovisual sensory impairment that is unrelated to diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Elizabeth Selvin
- Correspondence to Dr. Elizabeth Selvin, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2024 E. Monument Street, Suite 2-600, Baltimore, MD 21287 (e-mail: )
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Pacheco Pachado M, Casas AI, Elbatreek MH, Nogales C, Guney E, Espay AJ, Schmidt HH. Re-Addressing Dementia by Network Medicine and Mechanism-Based Molecular Endotypes. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 96:47-56. [PMID: 37742653 PMCID: PMC10657714 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230694] [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] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other forms of dementia are together a leading cause of disability and death in the aging global population, imposing a high personal, societal, and economic burden. They are also among the most prominent examples of failed drug developments. Indeed, after more than 40 AD trials of anti-amyloid interventions, reduction of amyloid-β (Aβ) has never translated into clinically relevant benefits, and in several cases yielded harm. The fundamental problem is the century-old, brain-centric phenotype-based definitions of diseases that ignore causal mechanisms and comorbidities. In this hypothesis article, we discuss how such current outdated nosology of dementia is a key roadblock to precision medicine and articulate how Network Medicine enables the substitution of clinicopathologic phenotypes with molecular endotypes and propose a new framework to achieve precision and curative medicine for patients with neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayra Pacheco Pachado
- Department of Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ana I. Casas
- Department of Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Universitätsklinikum Essen, Klinik für Neurologie, Essen, Germany
| | - Mahmoud H. Elbatreek
- Department of Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Cristian Nogales
- Department of Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Emre Guney
- Discovery and Data Science (DDS) Unit, STALICLA R&D SL, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alberto J. Espay
- James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Harald H.H.W. Schmidt
- Department of Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Xie E, Nadeem U, Xie B, D’Souza M, Sulakhe D, Skondra D. Using Computational Drug-Gene Analysis to Identify Novel Therapeutic Candidates for Retinal Neuroprotection. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012648. [PMID: 36293505 PMCID: PMC9604082 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinal cell death is responsible for irreversible vision loss in many retinal disorders. No commercially approved treatments are currently available to attenuate retinal cell loss and preserve vision. We seek to identify chemicals/drugs with thoroughly-studied biological functions that possess neuroprotective effects in the retina using a computational bioinformatics approach. We queried the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to identify genes associated with retinal neuroprotection. Enrichment analysis was performed using ToppGene to identify compounds related to the identified genes. This analysis constructs a Pharmacome from multiple drug-gene interaction databases to predict compounds with statistically significant associations to genes involved in retinal neuroprotection. Compounds with known deleterious effects (e.g., asbestos, ethanol) or with no clinical indications (e.g., paraquat, ozone) were manually filtered. We identified numerous drug/chemical classes associated to multiple genes implicated in retinal neuroprotection using a systematic computational approach. Anti-diabetics, lipid-lowering medicines, and antioxidants are among the treatments anticipated by this analysis, and many of these drugs could be readily repurposed for retinal neuroprotection. Our technique serves as an unbiased tool that can be utilized in the future to lead focused preclinical and clinical investigations for complex processes such as neuroprotection, as well as a wide range of other ocular pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Xie
- Chicago Medical School at Rosalind, Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - Urooba Nadeem
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Bingqing Xie
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Mark D’Souza
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Dinanath Sulakhe
- Duchossois Family Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Dimitra Skondra
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Correspondence:
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Ma H, Yang F, Ding XQ. Deficiency of thyroid hormone receptor protects retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors from cell death in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:255. [PMID: 35314673 PMCID: PMC8938501 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04691-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. Progressive dystrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors is the characteristic of dry AMD, and oxidative stress/damage plays a central role in the pathogenic lesion of the disease. Thyroid hormone (TH) regulates cell growth, differentiation, and metabolism, and regulates development/function of photoreceptors and RPE in the retina. Population-/patient-based studies suggest an association of high free-serum TH levels with increased risk of AMD. We recently showed that suppressing TH signaling by antithyroid treatment reduces cell damage/death of the RPE and photoreceptors in an oxidative-stress/sodium iodate (NaIO3)-induced mouse model of AMD. This work investigated the effects of TH receptor (THR) deficiency on cell damage/death of the RPE and photoreceptors and the contribution of the receptor subtypes. Treatment with NaIO3 induced RPE and photoreceptor cell death/necroptosis, destruction, and oxidative damage. The phenotypes were significantly diminished in Thrα1−/−, Thrb−/−, and Thrb2−/− mice, compared with that in the wild-type (C57BL/6 J) mice. The involvement of the receptor subtypes varies in the RPE and retina. Deletion of Thrα1 or Thrb protected RPE, rods, and cones, whereas deletion of Thrb2 protected RPE and cones but not rods. Gene-expression analysis showed that deletion of Thrα1 or Thrb abolished/suppressed the NaIO3-induced upregulation of the genes involved in cellular oxidative-stress responses, necroptosis/apoptosis signaling, and inflammatory responses. In addition, THR antagonist effectively protected ARPE-19 cells and hRPE cells from NaIO3-induced cell death. This work demonstrates the involvement of THR signaling in cell damage/death of the RPE and photoreceptors after oxidative-stress challenge and the receptor-subtype contribution. Findings from this work support a role of THR signaling in the pathogenesis of AMD and the strategy of suppressing THR signaling locally in the retina for protection of the RPE/retina in dry AMD.
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Ren J, Ren A, Deng X, Huang Z, Jiang Z, Li Z, Gong Y. Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Metabolites Regulate Inflammation in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. J Inflamm Res 2022; 15:865-880. [PMID: 35173457 PMCID: PMC8842733 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s347231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a blinding eye disease, whose incidence strongly increases with ages. The etiology of AMD is complex, including aging, abnormal lipid metabolism, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) are essential for ocular structures and functions. This review summarizes the regulatory effects of LCPUFA on inflammation in AMD. LCPUFA are related to aging, autophagy and chronic inflammation. They are metabolized to pro- and anti-inflammatory metabolites by various enzymes. These metabolites stimulate inflammation in response to oxidative stress, causing innate and acquired immune responses. This review also discusses the possible clinical applications, which provided novel targets for the prevention and treatment of AMD and other age-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangbo Ren
- Department of Biological Repositories, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Ophthalmology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Anli Ren
- Department of Biological Repositories, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Ophthalmology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xizhi Deng
- Department of Ophthalmology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhengrong Huang
- Department of Biological Repositories, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ziyu Jiang
- Department of Biological Repositories, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhi Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan Gong
- Department of Biological Repositories, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
- Human Genetics Resource Preservation Center of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Yan Gong; Zhi Li, Tel +86 27 6781 1461; +86 27 6781 2622, Fax +86 27 6781 1471; +86 27 6781 3133, Email ;
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Clare AJ, Liu J, Copland DA, Theodoropoulou S, Dick AD. Unravelling the therapeutic potential of IL-33 for atrophic AMD. Eye (Lond) 2022; 36:266-272. [PMID: 34531552 PMCID: PMC8807696 DOI: 10.1038/s41433-021-01725-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative disease affecting the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors in the macula, is the leading cause of central blindness in the elderly. AMD progresses to advanced stages of the disease, atrophic AMD (aAMD), or in 15% of cases "wet" or neovascular AMD (nAMD), associated with substantial vision loss. Whilst there has been advancement in therapies treating nAMD, to date, there are no licenced effective treatments for the 85% affected by aAMD, with disease managed by changes to diet, vitamin supplements, and regular monitoring. AMD has a complex pathogenesis, involving highly integrated and common age-related disease pathways, including dysregulated complement/inflammation, impaired autophagy, and oxidative stress. The intricacy of AMD pathogenesis makes therapeutic development challenging and identifying a target that combats the converging disease pathways is essential to provide a globally effective treatment. Interleukin-33 is a cytokine, classically known for the proinflammatory role it plays in allergic disease. Recent evidence across degenerative and inflammatory disease conditions reveals a diverse immune-modulatory role for IL-33, with promising therapeutic potential. Here, we will review IL-33 function in disease and discuss the future potential for this homeostatic cytokine in treating AMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison J. Clare
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Academic Unit of Ophthalmology, Translational Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Jian Liu
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Academic Unit of Ophthalmology, Translational Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - David A. Copland
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Academic Unit of Ophthalmology, Translational Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Sofia Theodoropoulou
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Academic Unit of Ophthalmology, Translational Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Andrew D. Dick
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Academic Unit of Ophthalmology, Translational Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK ,grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK ,grid.439257.e0000 0000 8726 5837NIHR Biomedical Research Centre of Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK ,grid.83440.3b0000000121901201UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK
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Coronado BNL, da Cunha FBS, de Oliveira RM, Nóbrega ODT, Ricart CAO, Fontes W, de Sousa MV, de Ávila MP, Martins AMA. Novel Possible Protein Targets in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Pilot Study Experiment. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 8:692272. [PMID: 35155457 PMCID: PMC8828634 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.692272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is among the world's leading causes of blindness. In its neovascular form (nAMD), around 25% of patients present further anatomical and visual deterioration due to persistence of neovascular activity, despite gold-standard treatment protocols using intravitreal anti-VEGF medications. Thus, to comprehend, the molecular pathways that drive choroidal neoangiogenesis, associated with the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), are important steps to elucidate the mechanistic events underneath the disease development. This is a pilot study, a prospective, translational experiment, in a real-life context aiming to evaluate the protein profiles of the aqueous humor of 15 patients divided into three groups: group 1, composed of patients with nAMD, who demonstrated a good response to anti-VEGF intravitreal injections during follow-up (good responsive); group 2, composed of patients with anti-VEGF-resistant nAMD, who demonstrated choroidal neovascularization activity during follow-up (poor/non-responsive); and group 3, composed of control patients without systemic diseases or signs of retinopathy. For proteomic characterization of the groups, mass spectrometry (label-free LC-MS/MS) was used. A total of 2,336 proteins were identified, of which 185 were distinctly regulated and allowed the differentiation of the clinical conditions analyzed. Among those, 39 proteins, including some novel ones, were analyzed as potential disease effectors through their pathophysiological implications in lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, complement system, inflammatory pathways, and angiogenesis. So, this study suggests the participation of other promising biomarkers in neovascular AMD, in addition to the known VEGF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Nobre Lins Coronado
- Department of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
- Faculty of Medicine, CESMAC University Center, Maceio, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Bruno Nobre Lins Coronado
| | | | - Raphaela Menezes de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | | | - Carlos André Ornelas Ricart
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Wagner Fontes
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Valle de Sousa
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | | | - Aline Maria Araújo Martins
- Department of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
- Department of Health Science, School of Medicine, University Center of Brasilia (UniCEUB), Brasilia, Brazil
- Aline Maria Araújo Martins
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12
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Network pharmacology: curing causal mechanisms instead of treating symptoms. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2021; 43:136-150. [PMID: 34895945 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 284] [Impact Index Per Article: 94.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
For complex diseases, most drugs are highly ineffective, and the success rate of drug discovery is in constant decline. While low quality, reproducibility issues, and translational irrelevance of most basic and preclinical research have contributed to this, the current organ-centricity of medicine and the 'one disease-one target-one drug' dogma obstruct innovation in the most profound manner. Systems and network medicine and their therapeutic arm, network pharmacology, revolutionize how we define, diagnose, treat, and, ideally, cure diseases. Descriptive disease phenotypes are replaced by endotypes defined by causal, multitarget signaling modules that also explain respective comorbidities. Precise and effective therapeutic intervention is achieved by synergistic multicompound network pharmacology and drug repurposing, obviating the need for drug discovery and speeding up clinical translation.
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13
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Caputo V, Strafella C, Termine A, Fabrizio C, Ruffo P, Cusumano A, Giardina E, Ricci F, Cascella R. Epigenomic signatures in age-related macular degeneration: Focus on their role as disease modifiers and therapeutic targets. Eur J Ophthalmol 2021; 31:2856-2867. [PMID: 34798695 DOI: 10.1177/11206721211028054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetics is characterized by molecular modifications able to shape gene expression profiles in response to inner and external stimuli. Therefore, epigenetic elements are able to provide intriguing and useful information for the comprehension and management of different human conditions, including aging process, and diseases. On this subject, Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) represents one of the most frequent age-related disorders, dramatically affecting the quality of life of older adults worldwide. The etiopathogenesis is characterized by an interplay among multiple genetic and non-genetic factors, which have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, a deeper dissection of molecular machinery associated with risk, onset, progression and effectiveness of therapies is still missing. In this regard, epigenetic signals may be further explored to disentangle disease etiopathogenesis, the possible therapeutic avenues and the differential response to AMD treatment. This review will discuss the epigenomic signatures mostly investigated in AMD, which could be applied to improve the knowledge of disease mechanisms and to set-up novel or modified treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Caputo
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.,Medical Genetics Laboratory, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Strafella
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.,Medical Genetics Laboratory, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Termine
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Fabrizio
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Ruffo
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Cusumano
- UOSD of Ophthalmology PTV Foundation "Policlinico Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Emiliano Giardina
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.,UILDM Lazio ONLUS Foundation, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
| | - Federico Ricci
- UNIT Retinal Diseases PTV Foundation "Policlinico Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaella Cascella
- Medical Genetics Laboratory, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Catholic University Our Lady of Good Counsel, Tirana, Albania
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14
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Keenan TDL, Oden NL, Agrón E, Clemons TE, Henning A, Fritsche LG, Wong WT, Chew EY. Cluster analysis and genotype-phenotype assessment of geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration: AREDS2 Report 25. Ophthalmol Retina 2021; 5:1061-1073. [PMID: 34325054 DOI: 10.1016/j.oret.2021.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To explore whether phenotypes in geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can be separable into two or more partially distinct subtypes and if these have different genetic associations. This is important since the discovery of distinct GA subtypes associated with different genetic factors might require customized therapeutic approaches. DESIGN Cluster analysis of participants within a controlled clinical trial, followed by assessment of phenotype-genotype associations. PARTICIPANTS AREDS2 participants with incident GA during study follow-up: 598 eyes of 598 participants (median age 75.7y). METHODS Phenotypic features from reading center grading of fundus photographs were subjected to cluster analysis, by both k-means and hierarchical methods, in cross-sectional analyses (using 15 phenotypic features assessed principally at GA emergence) and longitudinal analyses (using 14 phenotypic features). In pre-specified hypothesis tests, identified clusters were compared by four pathway-based genetic risk scores (complement, extracellular matrix, lipid, and ARMS2). The analyses were repeated in reverse, i.e., clustering by genotype and comparison by phenotype. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Characteristics and quality of cluster solutions, assessed by Calinski-Harabasz scores, unexplained variance, and consistency; genotype-phenotype associations, assessed by t test. RESULTS In cross-sectional phenotypic analyses, k-means identified two clusters (labeled A, B), while hierarchical clustering identified four (C-F); A-E membership differed principally by GA configuration but in relatively few other ways. In longitudinal phenotypic analyses, k-means identified two clusters (G, H), which differed principally by smoking status but in relatively few other ways. These three sets of cluster divisions were not similar to each other (r ≤ 0.20). Despite adequate power, pairwise cluster comparison by the four genetic risk scores demonstrated no significant differences (p>0.05 for all). In clustering by genotype, k-means identified two clusters (I/J). These differed principally at ARMS2, but no significant genotype-phenotype associations were observed (p>0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS Phenotypic clustering resulted in GA subtypes defined principally by GA configuration in cross-sectional analyses, but these were not replicated in longitudinal analyses. These negative findings, together with the absence of significant phenotype-genotype associations, indicate that GA phenotypes may vary continuously across a spectrum, rather than consisting of distinct subtypes that arise from separate genetic etiologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiarnan D L Keenan
- Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | | | - Elvira Agrón
- Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | - Wai T Wong
- Janssen Research and Development LLC, Raritan, NJ, USA
| | - Emily Y Chew
- Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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15
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Tsai YT, Li Y, Ryu J, Su PY, Cheng CH, Wu WH, Li YS, Quinn PMJ, Leong KW, Tsang SH. Impaired cholesterol efflux in retinal pigment epithelium of individuals with juvenile macular degeneration. Am J Hum Genet 2021; 108:903-918. [PMID: 33909993 PMCID: PMC8206198 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Macular degeneration (MD) is characterized by the progressive deterioration of the macula and represents one of the most prevalent causes of blindness worldwide. Abnormal intracellular accumulation of lipid droplets and pericellular deposits of lipid-rich material in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) called drusen are clinical hallmarks of different forms of MD including Doyne honeycomb retinal dystrophy (DHRD) and age-related MD (AMD). However, the appropriate molecular therapeutic target underlying these disorder phenotypes remains elusive. Here, we address this knowledge gap by comparing the proteomic profiles of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived RPEs (iRPE) from individuals with DHRD and their isogenic controls. Our analysis and follow-up studies elucidated the mechanism of lipid accumulation in DHRD iRPE cells. Specifically, we detected significant downregulation of carboxylesterase 1 (CES1), an enzyme that converts cholesteryl ester to free cholesterol, an indispensable process in cholesterol export. CES1 knockdown or overexpression of EFEMP1R345W, a variant of EGF-containing fibulin extracellular matrix protein 1 that is associated with DHRD and attenuated cholesterol efflux and led to lipid droplet accumulation. In iRPE cells, we also found that EFEMP1R345W has a hyper-inhibitory effect on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling when compared to EFEMP1WT and may suppress CES1 expression via the downregulation of transcription factor SP1. Taken together, these results highlight the homeostatic role of cholesterol efflux in iRPE cells and identify CES1 as a mediator of cholesterol efflux in MD.
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Key Words
- age-related macular degeneration, Doyne honeycomb destrophy, DHRD, cholesterol efflux, drusen, RPE, CRISPR, isogenic, EGFR signaling, unfolded protein response, lipid accumulation
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ting Tsai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Yao Li
- Jonas Children's Vision Care and the Bernard & Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Joseph Ryu
- Jonas Children's Vision Care and the Bernard & Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Pei-Yin Su
- Jonas Children's Vision Care and the Bernard & Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Chia-Hua Cheng
- Jonas Children's Vision Care and the Bernard & Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Wen-Hsuan Wu
- Jonas Children's Vision Care and the Bernard & Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Yong-Shi Li
- Jonas Children's Vision Care and the Bernard & Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Peter M J Quinn
- Jonas Children's Vision Care and the Bernard & Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kam W Leong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Stephen H Tsang
- Jonas Children's Vision Care and the Bernard & Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Institute of Human Nutrition, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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16
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Hadziahmetovic M, Malek G. Age-Related Macular Degeneration Revisited: From Pathology and Cellular Stress to Potential Therapies. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 8:612812. [PMID: 33569380 PMCID: PMC7868387 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.612812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a neurodegenerative disease of the aging retina, in which patients experience severe vision loss. Therapies available to patients are limited and are only effective in a sub-population of patients. Future comprehensive clinical care depends on identifying new therapeutic targets and adopting a multi-therapeutic approach. With this goal in mind, this review examines the fundamental concepts underlying the development and progression of AMD and re-evaluates the pathogenic pathways associated with the disease, focusing on the impact of injury at the cellular level, with the understanding that critical assessment of the literature may help pave the way to identifying disease-relevant targets. During this process, we elaborate on responses of AMD vulnerable cells, including photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelial cells, microglia, and choroidal endothelial cells, based on in vitro and in vivo studies, to select stressful agents, and discuss current therapeutic developments in the field, targeting different aspects of AMD pathobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Majda Hadziahmetovic
- Duke Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Goldis Malek
- Duke Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States.,Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
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17
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Keenan TD. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Cluster Analysis: Multi Pertransibunt et Augebitur Scientia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 4:1125-1128. [DOI: 10.1016/j.oret.2020.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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18
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Autophagy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Regulatory Mechanism of Oxidative Stress. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2020; 2020:2896036. [PMID: 32831993 PMCID: PMC7429811 DOI: 10.1155/2020/2896036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of severe visual loss and irreversible blindness in the elderly population worldwide. Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are the major site of pathological alterations in AMD. They are responsible for the phagocytosis of shed photoreceptor outer segments (POSs) and clearance of cellular waste under physiological conditions. Age-related, cumulative oxidative stimuli contribute to the pathogenesis of AMD. Excessive oxidative stress induces RPE cell degeneration and incomplete digestion of POSs, leading to the continuous accumulation of cellular waste (such as lipofuscin). Autophagy is a major system of degradation of damaged or unnecessary proteins. However, degenerative RPE cells in AMD patients cannot perform autophagy sufficiently to resist oxidative damage. Increasing evidence supports the idea that enhancing the autophagic process can properly alleviate oxidative injury in AMD and protect RPE and photoreceptor cells from degeneration and death, although overactivated autophagy may lead to cell death at early stages of retinal degenerative diseases. The crosstalk among the NFE2L2, PGC-1, p62, AMPK, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways may play a crucial role in improving disturbed autophagy and mitigating the progression of AMD. In this review, we discuss how autophagy prevents oxidative damage in AMD, summarize potential neuroprotective strategies for therapeutic interventions, and provide an overview of these neuroprotective mechanisms.
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19
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Luthert PJ, Kiel C. Combining Gene-Disease Associations with Single-Cell Gene Expression Data Provides Anatomy-Specific Subnetworks in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. NETWORK AND SYSTEMS MEDICINE 2020; 3:105-121. [PMID: 32789304 PMCID: PMC7416628 DOI: 10.1089/nsm.2020.0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of visual impairment in the developed world. Despite some treatment options for late AMD, there is no intervention that blocks early AMD proceeding to the late and blinding forms. This is partly due to the lack of precise drug targets, despite great advances in genetics, epidemiology, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks proposed to be driving the disease pathology. A systems approach to narrow down PPI networks to specific protein drug targets would provide new therapeutic options. Materials and Methods: In this study we analyzed single cell RNAseq (RNA sequencing) datasets of 17 cell types present in choroidal, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and neural retina (NR) tissues to explore if a more granular analysis incorporating different cell types exposes more specific pathways and relationships. Furthermore, we developed a novel and systematic gene ontology database (SysGO) to explore if a subcellular classification of processes will further enhance the understanding of the pathogenesis of this complex disorder and its comorbidities with other age-related diseases. Results: We found that 57% of the AMD (risk) genes are among the top 25% expressed genes in ∼1 of the 17 choroidal/RPE/NR cell types, and 9% were among the top 1% of expressed genes. Using SysGO, we identified an enrichment of AMD genes in cell membrane and extracellular anatomical locations, and we found both functional enrichments (e.g., cell adhesion) and cell types (e.g., fibroblasts, microglia) not previously associated with AMD pathogenesis. We reconstructed PPI networks among the top expressed AMD genes for all 17 choroidal/RPE/NR cell types, which provides molecular and anatomical definitions of AMD phenotypes that can guide therapeutic approaches to target this complex disease. Conclusion: We provide mechanism-based AMD endophenotypes that can be exploited in vitro, using computational models and for drug discovery/repurposing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J. Luthert
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christina Kiel
- Systems Biology Ireland and UCD Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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20
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Genotype- and Phenotype-Based Subgroups in Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The EYE-RISK Consortium. Ophthalmol Retina 2020; 4:1129-1137. [PMID: 32371126 DOI: 10.1016/j.oret.2020.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration is considered a single entity. This study aimed to determine whether GA subgroups exist that can be defined by their genotype and phenotype. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of cross-sectional data. PARTICIPANTS Individuals (196 eyes of 196 patients) 50 years of age or older with GA from the EYE-RISK database. METHODS Participants were graded for the presence of each of the following fundus features on color fundus photography: large soft drusen, reticular pseudodrusen (RPD), refractile drusen, hyperpigmentation, location of atrophy (foveal vs. extrafoveal), and multifocal lesions. Genotypes of 33 single nucleotide polymorphisms previously assigned to the complement, lipid metabolism, or extracellular matrix (ECM) pathways and ARMS2 also were included, and genetic risk scores (GRSs) for each of those 3 pathways were calculated. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to determine subgroups of participants defined by these features. The discriminative ability of genotype, phenotype, or both for each subgroup was determined with 10-fold cross-validated areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (cvAUCs), and the agreement between predicted and actual subgroup membership was assessed with calibration plots. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Identification and characterization of GA subgroups based on their phenotype and genotype. RESULTS Cluster analyses identified 3 subgroups of GA. Subgroup 1 was characterized by high complement GRS, frequently associated with large soft drusen and foveal atrophy; subgroup 2 generally showed low GRS, foveal atrophy, and few drusen (any type); and subgroup 3 showed a high ARMS2 and ECM GRS, RPD, and extrafoveal atrophy. A high discriminative ability existed between subgroups for the genotype (cvAUC, ≥0.94), and a modest discriminative ability existed for the phenotype (cvAUC, <0.65), with good calibration. CONCLUSIONS We identified 3 GA subgroups that differed mostly by their genotype. Atrophy location and drusen type were the most relevant phenotypic features.
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