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Liu C, Zhu T, Zhang J, Wang J, Gao F, Ou Q, Jin C, Xu JY, Zhang J, Tian H, Xu GT, Lu L. Identification of novel key molecular signatures in the pathogenesis of experimental diabetic retinopathy. IUBMB Life 2021; 73:1307-1324. [PMID: 34405947 DOI: 10.1002/iub.2544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Deep mining of the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic retinopathy (DR) is critical for the development of novel therapeutic targets. This study aimed to identify key molecular signatures involved in experimental DR on the basis of integrated bioinformatics analysis. Four datasets consisting of 37 retinal samples were downloaded from the National Center of Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus. After batch-effect adjustment, bioinformatics tools such as Networkanalyst, Enrichr, STRING, and Metascape were used to evaluate the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), perform enrichment analysis, and construct protein-protein interaction networks. The hub genes were identified using Cytoscape software. The DEGs of interest from the meta-analysis were confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in diabetic rats and a high-glucose-treated retinal cell model, respectively. A total of 743 DEGs related to lens differentiation, insulin resistance, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol metabolism were obtained using the meta-analysis. Alterations of dynamic gene expression in the chloride ion channel, retinol metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism were involved in the course of DR in rats. Importantly, H3K27m3 modifications regulated the expression of most DEGs at the early stage of DR. Using an integrated bioinformatics approach, novel molecular signatures were obtained for different stages of DR progression, and the findings may represent distinct therapeutic strategies for DR patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caiying Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tong Zhu
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jieping Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Juan Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Furong Gao
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingjian Ou
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Caixia Jin
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing-Ying Xu
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingfa Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital (Shanghai First People's Hospital), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haibin Tian
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guo-Tong Xu
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- The Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lixia Lu
- Department of Ophthalmology of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Laboratory of Clinical Visual Science of Tongji Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Tarchick MJ, Cutler AH, Trobenter TD, Kozlowski MR, Makowski ER, Holoman N, Shao J, Shen B, Anand-Apte B, Samuels IS. Endogenous insulin signaling in the RPE contributes to the maintenance of rod photoreceptor function in diabetes. Exp Eye Res 2018; 180:63-74. [PMID: 30543793 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2018.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In diabetes, there are two major physiological aberrations: (i) Loss of insulin signaling due to absence of insulin (type 1 diabetes) or insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes) and (ii) increased blood glucose levels. The retina has a high proclivity to damage following diabetes, and much of the pathology seen in diabetic retinopathy has been ascribed to hyperglycemia and downstream cascades activated by increased blood glucose. However, less attention has been focused on the direct role of insulin on retinal physiology, likely due to the fact that uptake of glucose in retinal cells is not insulin-dependent. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is instrumental in maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the retina. Recent studies have suggested that RPE dysfunction is a precursor of, and contributes to, the development of diabetic retinopathy. To evaluate the role of insulin on RPE cell function directly, we generated a RPE specific insulin receptor (IR) knockout (RPEIRKO) mouse using the Cre-loxP system. Using this mouse, we sought to determine the impact of insulin-mediated signaling in the RPE on retinal function under physiological control conditions as well as in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes. We demonstrate that loss of RPE-specific IR expression resulted in lower a- and b-wave electroretinogram amplitudes in diabetic mice as compared to diabetic mice that expressed IR on the RPE. Interestingly, RPEIRKO mice did not exhibit significant differences in the amplitude of the RPE-dependent electroretinogram c-wave as compared to diabetic controls. However, loss of IR-mediated signaling in the RPE reduced levels of reactive oxygen species and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the retina of diabetic mice. These results imply that IR-mediated signaling in the RPE regulates photoreceptor function and may play a role in the generation of oxidative stress and inflammation in the retina in diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Tarchick
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Alecia H Cutler
- Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Timothy D Trobenter
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Michael R Kozlowski
- Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Emily R Makowski
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Nicholas Holoman
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jianning Shao
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Bailey Shen
- Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Bela Anand-Apte
- Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Ivy S Samuels
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA.
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