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Shughoury A, Sevgi DD, Ciulla TA. Molecular Genetic Mechanisms in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:1233. [PMID: 35886016 PMCID: PMC9316037 DOI: 10.3390/genes13071233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is among the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. In addition to environmental risk factors, such as tobacco use and diet, genetic background has long been established as a major risk factor for the development of AMD. However, our ability to predict disease risk and personalize treatment remains limited by our nascent understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying AMD pathogenesis. Research into the molecular genetics of AMD over the past two decades has uncovered 52 independent gene variants and 34 independent loci that are implicated in the development of AMD, accounting for over half of the genetic risk. This research has helped delineate at least five major pathways that may be disrupted in the pathogenesis of AMD: the complement system, extracellular matrix remodeling, lipid metabolism, angiogenesis, and oxidative stress response. This review surveys our current understanding of each of these disease mechanisms, in turn, along with their associated pathogenic gene variants. Continued research into the molecular genetics of AMD holds great promise for the development of precision-targeted, personalized therapies that bring us closer to a cure for this debilitating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aumer Shughoury
- Department of Ophthalmology, Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (A.S.); (D.D.S.)
| | - Duriye Damla Sevgi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (A.S.); (D.D.S.)
| | - Thomas A. Ciulla
- Department of Ophthalmology, Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; (A.S.); (D.D.S.)
- Clearside Biomedical, Inc., Alpharetta, GA 30005, USA
- Midwest Eye Institute, Indianapolis, IN 46290, USA
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Hwang IC, Bae JH, Kim JM, Lee JM, Nguyen QD. Adult body height and age-related macular degeneration in healthy individuals: A nationwide population-based survey from Korea. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232593. [PMID: 32357183 PMCID: PMC7194362 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We sought to evaluate the relationship between adult body height and risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among healthy Koreans using nationwide population-based data. We analyzed data derived from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2011. Participants over 40 years of age were included in the sample after excluding individuals with systemic comorbidities or missing relevant data. The presence and severity of AMD were graded using fundus photographs. The relationship between body height and risk of AMD was determined using multiple logistic regression analyses. Among a total of 8,435 participants, 544 (6.45%) had AMD: 502 (5.95%) with early AMD and 42 (0.5%) with late AMD. In multivariate-adjusted analyses, taller body height was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of AMD (odds ratio [OR], 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81–0.99), while body mass index (BMI) was not associated with AMD. An inverse association between body height and risk of AMD was observed most frequently in participants under 65 years of age (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.70–0.94). Furthermore, body height showed an inverse association with risk of AMD among obese participants (BMI ≥25.0 kg/m2) (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.60–0.93). Subgroup analysis by AMD type disclosed a significant inverse association between body height and early AMD (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79–0.97) but not late AMD. Our results suggest that shorter body height is independently associated with increased risk of AMD, especially early AMD, in a dose-response manner in people who are obese or under 65 years of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- In Cheol Hwang
- Department of Family Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Hun Bae
- Department of Ophthalmology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
| | - Joon Mo Kim
- Department of Ophthalmology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Min Lee
- Department of Ophthalmology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Quan Dong Nguyen
- Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
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Dhingra A, Bell BA, Peachey NS, Daniele LL, Reyes-Reveles J, Sharp RC, Jun B, Bazan NG, Sparrow JR, Kim HJ, Philp NJ, Boesze-Battaglia K. Microtubule-Associated Protein 1 Light Chain 3B, (LC3B) Is Necessary to Maintain Lipid-Mediated Homeostasis in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:351. [PMID: 30349463 PMCID: PMC6186781 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Like other neurons, retinal cells utilize autophagic pathways to maintain cell homeostasis. The mammalian retina relies on heterophagy and selective autophagy to efficiently degrade and metabolize ingested lipids with disruption in autophagy associated degradation contributing to age related retinal disorders. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) supports photoreceptor cell renewal by daily phagocytosis of shed photoreceptor outer segments (OS). The daily ingestion of these lipid-rich OS imposes a constant degradative burden on these terminally differentiated cells. These cells rely on Microtubule-Associated Protein 1 Light Chain 3 (LC3) family of proteins for phagocytic clearance of the ingested OS. The LC3 family comprises of three highly homologous members, MAP1LC3A (LC3A), MAP1LC3B (LC3B), and MAP1LC3C (LC3C). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the LC3B isoform plays a specific role in maintaining RPE lipid homeostasis. We examined the RPE and retina of the LC3B-/- mouse as a function of age using in vivo ocular imaging and electroretinography coupled with ex vivo, lipidomic analyses of lipid mediators, assessment of bisretinoids as well as imaging of lipid aggregates. Deletion of LC3B resulted in defects within the RPE including increased phagosome accumulation, decreased fatty acid oxidation and a subsequent increase in RPE and sub-RPE lipid deposits. Age-dependent RPE changes included elevated levels of oxidized cholesterol, deposition of 4-HNE lipid peroxidation products, bisretinoid lipofuscin accumulation, and subretinal migration of microglia, collectively likely contributing to loss of retinal function. These observations are consistent with a critical role for LC3B-dependent processes in the maintenance of normal lipid homeostasis in the aging RPE, and suggest that LC3 isoform specific disruption in autophagic processes contribute to AMD-like pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuradha Dhingra
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Brent A Bell
- Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Neal S Peachey
- Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States.,Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Lauren L Daniele
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Juan Reyes-Reveles
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Rachel C Sharp
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Bokkyoo Jun
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Nicolas G Bazan
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Janet R Sparrow
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Hye Jin Kim
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nancy J Philp
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Zanzottera EC, Messinger JD, Ach T, Smith RT, Curcio CA. Subducted and melanotic cells in advanced age-related macular degeneration are derived from retinal pigment epithelium. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2015; 56:3269-78. [PMID: 26024109 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.15-16432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To describe, illustrate, and account for two cell types plausibly derived from RPE in geographic atrophy (GA) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) of AMD, using melanosomes, lipofuscin, and basal laminar deposit (BLamD) as anatomical markers. METHODS Human donor eyes with GA (n = 13) or CNV (n = 39) were histologically processed, photodocumented, and analyzed for frequencies of occurrence. We defined RPE as cells containing spindle-shaped melanosomes and RPE lipofuscin, internal to basal lamina or BLamD, if present, or Bruch's membrane if not, and RPE-derived cells as those plausibly derived from RPE and not attached to basal lamina or BLamD. RESULTS 'Subducted' cells contain RPE melanosomes and localize to the sub-RPE space, on Bruch's membrane. Credible transitional forms from RPE cells were seen. Grades of RPE overlying 'Subducted' cells were 'Atrophic with BLamD' (32.2% vs. 37.0% of 'Subducted,' for GA and CNV eyes, respectively), 'Dissociated' (22.0% vs. 21.7%), 'Nonuniform' (22.0% vs. 23.9%), and 'Sloughed' RPE (10.2% vs. 4.3%). Found exclusively in CNV scars, 'Melanotic' cells containing spherical melanosomes were adjacent to 'Entombed' RPE with spindle-shaped and spherical melanosomes. Of subretinal 'Melanotic' cells, 40.0% associated with 'Atrophy with BLamD,' 36.8% with 'Atrophy without BLamD,' and 20.6% with 'Entombed.' CONCLUSIONS 'Dissociated' RPE within atrophic areas may be the source of 'Subducted' cells. 'Entombed' RPE within fibrovascular and fibrocellular scars may be the source of 'Melanotic' cells. An imaging correlate for 'Subducted' cells awaits discovery; 'Melanotic' cells appear gray-black in the CNV fundus. Results provide a basis for future molecular phenotyping studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Zanzottera
- Department of Ophthalmology University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States 2Eye Clinic, Department of Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco," Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Jeffrey D Messinger
- Department of Ophthalmology University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
| | - Thomas Ach
- Department of Ophthalmology University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States 3University Hospital of Würzburg, Department of Ophthalmology, Würzburg, Germany
| | - R Theodore Smith
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University, New York, New York, United States
| | - Christine A Curcio
- Department of Ophthalmology University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
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Zanzottera EC, Messinger JD, Ach T, Smith RT, Freund KB, Curcio CA. The Project MACULA Retinal Pigment Epithelium Grading System for Histology and Optical Coherence Tomography in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2015; 56:3253-68. [PMID: 25813989 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.15-16431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To seek pathways of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) fate in age-related macular degeneration via a morphology grading system; provide nomenclature, visualization targets, and metrics for clinical imaging and model systems. METHODS Donor eyes with geographic atrophy (GA) or choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and one GA eye with previous clinical spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) imaging were processed for histology, photodocumented, and annotated at predefined locations. Retinal pigment epithelial cells contained spindle-shaped melanosomes, apposed a basal lamina or basal laminar deposit (BLamD), and exhibited recognizable morphologies. Thicknesses and unbiased estimates of frequencies were obtained. RESULTS In 13 GA eyes (449 locations), 'Shedding,' 'Sloughed,' and 'Dissociated' morphologies were abundant; 22.2% of atrophic locations had 'Dissociated' RPE. In 39 CNV eyes (1363 locations), 37.3% of locations with fibrovascular/fibrocellular scar had 'Entombed' RPE; 'Sloughed,' 'Dissociated,' and 'Bilaminar' morphologies were abundant. Of abnormal RPE, CNV and GA both had ~35% 'Sloughed'/'Intraretinal,' with more Intraretinal in CNV (9.5% vs. 1.8%). 'Shedding' cells associated with granule aggregations in BLamD. The RPE layer did not thin, and BLamD remained thick, with progression. Granule-containing material consistent with three morphologies correlated to SDOCT hyperreflective foci in the previously examined GA patient. CONCLUSIONS Retinal pigment epithelium morphology indicates multiple pathways in GA and CNV. Atrophic/scarred areas have numerous cells capable of transcribing genes and generating imaging signals. Shed granule aggregates, possibly apoptotic, are visible in SDOCT, as are 'Dissociated' and 'Sloughed' cells. The significance of RPE phenotypes is addressable in longitudinal, high-resolution imaging in clinic populations. Data can motivate future molecular phenotyping studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Zanzottera
- Department of Ophthalmology University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States 2Eye Clinic, Department of Clinical Science "Luigi Sacco," Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Jeffrey D Messinger
- Department of Ophthalmology University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
| | - Thomas Ach
- Department of Ophthalmology University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States 3University Hospital Würzburg, Department of Ophthalmology, Würzburg, Germany
| | - R Theodore Smith
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York, United States
| | - K Bailey Freund
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York, United States 5Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York, New York, New York, United States 6LuEsther T. Mertz Retinal Research Center, Manhattan Eye, Ear
| | - Christine A Curcio
- Department of Ophthalmology University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
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Erke MG, Bertelsen G, Peto T, Sjølie AK, Lindekleiv H, Njølstad I. Cardiovascular risk factors associated with age-related macular degeneration: the Tromsø Study. Acta Ophthalmol 2014; 92:662-9. [PMID: 24460653 DOI: 10.1111/aos.12346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2012] [Accepted: 12/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine associations between cardiovascular risk factors and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS A population-based, cross-sectional study of Caucasians aged 65-87 years was conducted in Norway in 2007/2008. Retinal photographs were graded for AMD. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed based on questionnaires addressing habits of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, health and medication; and physical examination comprising anthropometric measurements, blood pressure and blood sampling. Cardiovascular disease status was obtained from a validated end-point registry. RESULTS Gradable photographs were available for 2631 participants, of whom 92 (3.5%) subjects had late AMD. In the multivariable analysis of late AMD, significant interactions were found between sex and the variables age, triglyceride level, use of lipid-lowering drugs and physical exercise. Current daily smoking was significantly related to late AMD in both sexes (odds ratio (OR) 4.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.69-9.76 and OR 3.59, 95% CI 1.17-11.04, women and men, respectively) compared with never smokers. Higher number of pack years was associated with the presence of large drusen (>125 μm) (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.09 per 5 years). Higher systolic blood pressure (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.12 per 5 mmHg), overweight (OR 2.87, 95% CI 1.13-7.29) and obesity (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.06-8.03), physical exercise duration (OR 0.41, 95% 0.18-0.96 for 30 min or more compared with less) and frequency (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.23-0.92 for weekly or more often compared to less) were associated with late AMD in women only. CONCLUSIONS Smoking was strongly associated with AMD, in line with results from other populations. Also, late AMD was related to higher systolic blood pressure, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja G Erke
- Department of Ophthalmology and Neurosurgery; University Hospital of North Norway; Tromsø Norway
- Research Group of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases; Department of Community Medicine; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of Tromsø; Tromsø Norway
| | - Geir Bertelsen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Neurosurgery; University Hospital of North Norway; Tromsø Norway
- Research Group of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases; Department of Community Medicine; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of Tromsø; Tromsø Norway
| | - Tunde Peto
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology; Head of Reading Centre; London UK
| | - Anne K Sjølie
- Department of Ophthalmology; Odense University Hospital; Odense Denmark
- Brain and Circulation Research Group; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences; University of Tromsø; Tromsø Norway
| | - Haakon Lindekleiv
- Research Group of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases; Department of Community Medicine; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of Tromsø; Tromsø Norway
| | - Inger Njølstad
- Research Group of Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases; Department of Community Medicine; Faculty of Health Sciences; University of Tromsø; Tromsø Norway
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Rudolf M, Seckerdieck K, Grisanti S, Curcio CA. Internal structure consistent with remodelling in very small drusen, revealed by filipin histochemistry for esterified cholesterol. Br J Ophthalmol 2014; 98:698-702. [DOI: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2013-304226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Curcio CA, Messinger JD, Sloan KR, McGwin G, Medeiros NE, Spaide RF. Subretinal drusenoid deposits in non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration: morphology, prevalence, topography, and biogenesis model. Retina 2013; 33:265-76. [PMID: 23266879 PMCID: PMC3870202 DOI: 10.1097/iae.0b013e31827e25e0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 301] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To characterize the morphology, prevalence, and topography of subretinal drusenoid deposits, a candidate histological correlate of reticular pseudodrusen, with reference to basal linear deposit (BlinD), a specific lesion of age-related macular degeneration, and to propose a biogenesis model for both lesion. METHODS Donor eyes with median death-to-preservation of 2:40 hours were postfixed in osmium tannic acid paraphenylenediamine and prepared for macula-wide high-resolution digital sections. Annotated thicknesses of 21 chorioretinal layers were determined at standard locations in sections through the fovea and the superior perifovea. RESULTS In 22 eyes of 20 white donors (83.1 ± 7.7 years), SDD appeared as isolated or confluent drusenoid dollops punctuated by tufts of retinal pigment epithelium apical processes and associated with photoreceptor perturbation. Subretinal drusenoid deposits and BlinD were detected in 85 and 90% of non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration donors, respectively. Subretinal drusenoid deposit was thick (median, 9.4 μm) and more abundant in the perifovea than in the fovea (P < 0.0001). BlinD was thin (median, 2.1 μm) and more abundant in the fovea than in the perifovea (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Subretinal drusenoid deposits and BlinD prevalence in age-related macular degeneration eyes are high. Subretinal drusenoid deposits organized morphology, topography, and impact on surrounding photoreceptors imply specific processes of biogenesis. Contrasting topographies of subretinal drusenoid deposits and BlinD suggest relationships with differentiable aspects of rod and cone physiology, respectively. A 2-lesion 2-compartment biogenesis model incorporating outer retinal lipid homeostasis is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine A Curcio
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
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