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Buscho SE, Xia F, Shi S, Lin JL, Szczesny B, Zhang W, Motamedi M, Liu H. Non-Invasive Evaluation of Retinal Vascular Alterations in a Mouse Model of Optic Neuritis Using Laser Speckle Flowgraphy and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography. Cells 2023; 12:2685. [PMID: 38067113 PMCID: PMC10705764 DOI: 10.3390/cells12232685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Optic neuritis, a characteristic feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), involves the inflammation of the optic nerve and the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Although previous studies suggest that retinal blood flow alterations occur during optic neuritis, the precise location, the degree of impairment, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we utilized two emerging non-invasive imaging techniques, laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), to investigate retinal vascular changes in a mouse model of MS, known as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We associated these changes with leukostasis, RGC injury, and the overall progression of EAE. LSFG imaging revealed a progressive reduction in retinal blood flow velocity and increased vascular resistance near the optic nerve head in the EAE model, indicating impaired ocular blood flow. OCTA imaging demonstrated significant decreases in vessel density, number of junctions, and total vessel length in the intermediate and deep capillary plexus of the EAE mice. Furthermore, our analysis of leukostasis revealed a significant increase in adherent leukocytes in the retinal vasculature of the EAE mice, suggesting the occurrence of vascular inflammation in the early development of EAE pathology. The abovechanges preceded or were accompanied by the characteristic hallmarks of optic neuritis, such as RGC loss and reduced visual acuity. Overall, our study sheds light on the intricate relationship between retinal vascular alterations and the progression of optic neuritis as well as MS clinical score. It also highlights the potential for the development of image-based biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of optic neuritis as well as MS, particularly in response to emerging treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth E. Buscho
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (S.E.B.); (F.X.); (S.S.); (J.L.L.); (B.S.); (W.Z.); (M.M.)
| | - Fan Xia
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (S.E.B.); (F.X.); (S.S.); (J.L.L.); (B.S.); (W.Z.); (M.M.)
| | - Shuizhen Shi
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (S.E.B.); (F.X.); (S.S.); (J.L.L.); (B.S.); (W.Z.); (M.M.)
| | - Jonathan L. Lin
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (S.E.B.); (F.X.); (S.S.); (J.L.L.); (B.S.); (W.Z.); (M.M.)
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Bartosz Szczesny
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (S.E.B.); (F.X.); (S.S.); (J.L.L.); (B.S.); (W.Z.); (M.M.)
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (S.E.B.); (F.X.); (S.S.); (J.L.L.); (B.S.); (W.Z.); (M.M.)
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Massoud Motamedi
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (S.E.B.); (F.X.); (S.S.); (J.L.L.); (B.S.); (W.Z.); (M.M.)
| | - Hua Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (S.E.B.); (F.X.); (S.S.); (J.L.L.); (B.S.); (W.Z.); (M.M.)
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Sirés A, Pazo-González M, López-Soriano J, Méndez A, de la Rosa EJ, de la Villa P, Comella JX, Hernández-Sánchez C, Solé M. The Absence of FAIM Leads to a Delay in Dark Adaptation and Hampers Arrestin-1 Translocation upon Light Reception in the Retina. Cells 2023; 12:cells12030487. [PMID: 36766830 PMCID: PMC9914070 DOI: 10.3390/cells12030487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The short and long isoforms of FAIM (FAIM-S and FAIM-L) hold important functions in the central nervous system, and their expression levels are specifically enriched in the retina. We previously described that Faim knockout (KO) mice present structural and molecular alterations in the retina compatible with a neurodegenerative phenotype. Here, we aimed to study Faim KO retinal functions and molecular mechanisms leading to its alterations. Electroretinographic recordings showed that aged Faim KO mice present functional loss of rod photoreceptor and ganglion cells. Additionally, we found a significant delay in dark adaptation from early adult ages. This functional deficit is exacerbated by luminic stress, which also caused histopathological alterations. Interestingly, Faim KO mice present abnormal Arrestin-1 redistribution upon light reception, and we show that Arrestin-1 is ubiquitinated, a process that is abrogated by either FAIM-S or FAIM-L in vitro. Our results suggest that FAIM assists Arrestin-1 light-dependent translocation by a process that likely involves ubiquitination. In the absence of FAIM, this impairment could be the cause of dark adaptation delay and increased light sensitivity. Multiple retinal diseases are linked to deficits in photoresponse termination, and hence, investigating the role of FAIM could shed light onto the underlying mechanisms of their pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Sirés
- Cell Signaling and Apoptosis Group, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Mateo Pazo-González
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Systems Biology, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alcalá, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Joaquín López-Soriano
- Cell Signaling and Apoptosis Group, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Ana Méndez
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine, Campus Universitari de Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociències, Campus Universitari de Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Campus Universitari de Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, 08907 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enrique J. de la Rosa
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro de la Villa
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Systems Biology, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alcalá, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Joan X. Comella
- Cell Signaling and Apoptosis Group, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Catalina Hernández-Sánchez
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Montse Solé
- Cell Signaling and Apoptosis Group, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), ISCIII, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Institut de Neurociències, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Correspondence:
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Dysfunction of the glutamatergic photoreceptor synapse in the P301S mouse model of tauopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:5. [PMID: 36631898 PMCID: PMC9832799 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01489-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease, are characterized by retinal ganglion cell loss associated with amyloid and phosphorylated tau deposits. We investigated the functional impact of these histopathological alterations in the murine P301S model of tauopathy. Visual impairments were demonstrated by a decrease in visual acuity already detectable at 6 months, the onset of disease. Visual signals to the cortex and retina were delayed at 6 and 9 months, respectively. Surprisingly, the retinal output signal was delayed at the light onset and advanced at the light offset. This antagonistic effect, due to a dysfunction of the cone photoreceptor synapse, was associated with changes in the expression of the vesicular glutamate transporter and a microglial reaction. This dysfunction of retinal glutamatergic synapses suggests a novel interpretation for visual deficits in tauopathies and it highlights the potential value of the retina for the diagnostic assessment and the evaluation of therapies in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.
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Li S, Shi S, Xia F, Luo B, Ha Y, Luisi J, Gupta PK, Merkley KH, Motamedi M, Liu H, Zhang W. CXCR3 deletion aggravates corneal neovascularization in a corneal alkali-burn model. Exp Eye Res 2022; 225:109265. [PMID: 36206861 PMCID: PMC10191246 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2022.109265] [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: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Corneal neovascularization can cause devastating consequences including vision impairment and even blindness. Corneal inflammation is a crucial factor for the induction of corneal neovascularization. Current anti-inflammatory approaches are of limited value with poor therapeutic effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new therapies that specifically modulate inflammatory pathways and inhibit neovascularization in the cornea. The interaction of chemokines and their receptors plays a key role in regulating leukocyte migration during inflammatory response. CXCR3 is essential for mediating the recruitment of activated T cells and microglia/macrophages, but the role of CXCR3 in the initiation and promotion of corneal neovascularization remains unclear. Here, we showed that the expression of CXCL10 and CXCR3 was significantly increased in the cornea after alkali burn. Compared with WT mice, CXCR3-/- mice exhibited significantly increased corneal hemangiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis after alkali burn. In addition, exaggerated leukocyte infiltration and leukostasis, and elevated expression of inflammatory cytokines and angiogenic factor were also found in the corneas of CXCR3-/- mice subjected to alkali burn. With bone marrow (BM) transplantation, we further demonstrated that the deletion of CXCR3 in BM-derived leukocytes plays a key role in the acceleration of alkali burn-induced corneal neovascularization. Taken together, our results suggest that upregulation of CXCR3 does not exhibit its conventional action as a proinflammatory cytokine but instead serves as a self-protective mechanism for the modulation of inflammation and maintenance of corneal avascularity after corneal alkali burn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengguo Li
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Shuizhen Shi
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Fan Xia
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Ban Luo
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Yonju Ha
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Jonathan Luisi
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Praveena K Gupta
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Kevin H Merkley
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Massoud Motamedi
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Hua Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Departments of Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
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Buscho S, Palacios E, Xia F, Shi S, Li S, Luisi J, Kayed R, Motamedi M, Zhang W, Liu H. Longitudinal characterization of retinal vasculature alterations with optical coherence tomography angiography in a mouse model of tauopathy. Exp Eye Res 2022; 224:109240. [PMID: 36096190 PMCID: PMC10162407 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2022.109240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a family of neurodegenerative diseases which predominately afflict the rapidly growing aging population suffering from various brain disorders including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism-17 and Pick disease. As the only visually accessible region of the central nervous system, in recent years, the retina has attracted extensive attention for its potential as a target for visualizing and quantifying emerging biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases. Our previous study has found that retinal vascular inflammation and leakage occur at the very early stage of tauopathic mouse model. Here, we aimed to non-invasively visualize age-dependent alterations of retinal vasculature assessing the potential for using changes in retinal vasculature as the biomarker for the early diagnosis of tauopathy. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), a non-invasive depth-resolved high-resolution imaging technique was used to visualize and quantify tauopathy-induced alterations of retinal vasculature in P301S transgenic mice overexpressing the P301S mutant form of human tau and age-matched wild type littermate mice at 3, 6 and 10 months of age. We observed significant alterations of vascular features in the intermediate capillary plexus (ICP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) but not in the superficial vascular complex (SVC) of P301S mice at early stages of tauopathy. With aging, alterations of vascular features in P301S mice became more prominent in all three vascular plexuses. Staining of retinal vasculature in flatmounts and trypsin digests of P301S mice at 10 months of age revealed decreased vessel density and increased acellular capillary formation, indicating that vascular degeneration also occurs during tauopathy. Overall, our results demonstrate that the changes in retinal vascular features accelerate during the progression of tauopathy. Vessels in the ICP and DCP may be more susceptible to tauopathy than vessels in the SVC. Since changes in retinal vasculature often precede tau pathology in the brain, non-invasive identification of retinal vascular alterations with OCTA may be a useful biomarker for the early diagnosis of tauopathy and monitoring its progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth Buscho
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Erick Palacios
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Fan Xia
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Shuizhen Shi
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Shengguo Li
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Jonathan Luisi
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Massoud Motamedi
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Departments of Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
| | - Hua Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
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Wei L, Sun X, Fan C, Li R, Zhou S, Yu H. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying diabetic retinopathy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:963615. [PMID: 36111346 PMCID: PMC9468825 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.963615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), which can lead to visual impairment and even blindness in severe cases. DR is generally considered to be a microvascular disease but its pathogenesis is still unclear. A large body of evidence shows that the development of DR is not determined by a single factor but rather by multiple related mechanisms that lead to different degrees of retinal damage in DR patients. Therefore, this article briefly reviews the pathophysiological changes in DR, and discusses the occurrence and development of DR resulting from different factors such as oxidative stress, inflammation, neovascularization, neurodegeneration, the neurovascular unit, and gut microbiota, to provide a theoretical reference for the development of new DR treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindan Wei
- Special Key Laboratory of Ocular Diseases of Guizhou Province, Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Xin Sun
- Special Key Laboratory of Gene Detection and Therapy of Guizhou Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Chenxi Fan
- Special Key Laboratory of Ocular Diseases of Guizhou Province, Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Rongli Li
- Special Key Laboratory of Ocular Diseases of Guizhou Province, Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Shuanglong Zhou
- Special Key Laboratory of Ocular Diseases of Guizhou Province, Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Hongsong Yu
- Special Key Laboratory of Ocular Diseases of Guizhou Province, Department of Immunology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- *Correspondence: Hongsong Yu,
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Li S, Shi S, Luo B, Xia F, Ha Y, Merkley KH, Motamedi M, Zhang W, Liu H. Tauopathy induces degeneration and impairs regeneration of sensory nerves in the cornea. Exp Eye Res 2021; 215:108900. [PMID: 34929160 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2021.108900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The cornea is transparent and innervated by a dense collection of sensory nerves originating from the ocular branch of the trigeminal nerve. This study was designed to comprehensively analyze alterations of corneal sub-basal nerve plexus in a mouse model of tauopathy (P301L transgenic mice) to test the possibility of using corneal nerves as a biomarker for tauopathy. Corneal sensitivity, thickness and epithelial wound healing were measured non-invasively by aeshesiometer, optical coherence tomography and fluorescein staining, respectively. Tau, corneal nerves and immune cells were examined by immunohistochemistry or Western blot. At the early stage of tauopathy, although corneal sensitivity, thickness and nerve fiber density were not greatly altered, corneal nerve abnormalities were observed in the peripheral region of young P301L mice. With aging, the density of abnormal nerves increased, while corneal sensitivity, epithelial thickness, nerve fiber density and length decreased in middle-aged P301L mice compared with WT mice. After corneal epithelial injury in young mice, no difference in reepithelialization was observed between two groups of mice, however, the regeneration of corneal nerves in P301L mice lagged behind WT mice, which was reflected by delayed recovery of corneal sensitivity, decreased corneal nerve density and length and density of CD45+ dendriform cells in P301L mice. In conclusion, our data provide compelling evidence that corneal nerves were changed in a mouse model of tauopathy in an age-dependent manner. Moreover, tau overexpression impairs corneal nerve regeneration. These results suggest that cornea may serve as a promising ocular site for the early diagnosis of tauopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengguo Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China; Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Shuizhen Shi
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Ban Luo
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Fan Xia
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Yonju Ha
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Kevin H Merkley
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Massoud Motamedi
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Departments of Neuroscience, Cell Biology & Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
| | - Hua Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
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Ha Y, Ochoa LF, Solomon O, Shi S, Villarreal PP, Li S, Buscho S, Vargas G, Zhang W. Light-Sheet Microscopy of the Optic Nerve Reveals Axonal Degeneration and Microglial Activation in NMDA-Induced Retinal Injury. EC OPHTHALMOLOGY 2021; 12:23-31. [PMID: 36108311 PMCID: PMC9450914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Optic nerve degeneration is a feature of neurodegenerative eye diseases and causes irreversible vision loss. Therefore, understanding the degenerating patterns of the optic nerve is critical to find the potential therapeutic target for optic neuropathy. However, the traditional method of optic nerve degeneration has the limitations of losing spatiotemporal tissue information. Light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) is a fluorescence microscopy technique that allows capturing 3D images rapidly with a high spatial optical resolution. In this study, we evaluated the availability of LSFM on the optic nerve with NMDA injected Thy1-CFP mice. METHODS NMDA injected to both eyes of Thy1-CFP mice. After 7 days from the injection, the retina and optic nerve were collected and immunostained with anti-Iba1 antibody. NMDA excitotoxicity induced RGC, and its axon loss and microglial activation in the retina were observed using confocal microscopy. The immunostained optic nerve was completed the optical clearing process with TDE and mounted for LSFM imaging. RESULTS We found that retinal flatmounts confirmed significant loss of CFP-expressing RGC and axon degradation and loss in Thy1-CFP mice at 7 days after NMDA injection. Together with these data verifying that NMDA induces RGC and its axon loss, we confirmed that NMDA excitotoxicity induced microglia activation and leukostasis, such as increased microglia number, transform its morphology to ameboid or round, and increase in attached leukocytes in vessels. Using LSFM, we observed that CFP expressing nerve fiber was well organized and arranged parallel in vehicle treated optic nerve, whileas NMDA injected optic nerve showed axon swelling and fragmentation and loss of axon density from the anterior to the posterior regions. Furthermore, LSFM enabled the observation of microglia phenotype transformation in the entire optic nerve. Unlike microglia in vehicle injected optic nerve, microglia in NMDA injected optic nerve displayed larger soma and short process with high Iba1 expression through the entire optic nerve from the anterior to posterior. CONCLUSIONS In summary, we examined the applicability of the modified optic clearing protocol for the optic nerve and verified it enabled to acquiring of the 3D images of the optic nerve successfully revealing the complex spatial relationships between the axons, microglia and vasculature throughout the entire organ with single acquisitions. With these optimized techniques, we successfully obtained the high-resolution 3D images of NMDA-induced optic neuropathy, including the clues for optic nerve degeneration such as axon swelling, axonal fragmentation, and microglia activation. Overall, we believe that our current study could help understand the pathology of the optic nerve in neurodegenerative diseases, and it will be the basis for translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonju Ha
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Lorenzo F Ochoa
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Olivia Solomon
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Human Pathophysiology and Translational Medicine Graduate Program, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Shuizhen Shi
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Paula P Villarreal
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Shengguo Li
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Seth Buscho
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Gracie Vargas
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
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Zhong H, Yu H, Sun J, Chen J, Huang S, Huang P, Liu X, Zhong Y. Isolation of microglia from retinas of chronic ocular hypertensive rats. Open Life Sci 2021; 16:992-1001. [PMID: 34604533 PMCID: PMC8445004 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2021-0100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Microglia are the principal glial cells involved in the processes of immune inflammation within both retina and optic nerve, especially under the context of glaucomatous neuropathy. Considering the distinguishing role of retinal microglia in glaucoma and the lack of established protocol for microglia isolation from animal glaucoma model, the present study aimed to develop and validate a method with characteristics of both simplicity and efficiency for retinal microglia isolation from chronic ocular hypertensive (COH) rats. A Percoll gradient of various concentrations was used to separate microglia from whole retinal cells of the COH rats and control group. The finally isolated microglia were identified by CD11b and Iba-1 immunofluorescence staining, and the cell viability was determined by trypan blue staining. Additionally, the proportion of microglia in the whole retina cells was identified by flow cytometry. Results showed that the survival rates of isolated retinal microglia with the Percoll gradient method were 67.2 ± 4% and 67.6 ± 3% in control and COH groups, respectively. The proportion of the microglia population in the whole retinal cells was about 0.4–0.93%. To conclude, the present study confirmed that the application of Percoll gradient could effectively separate microglia from retinas of COH rats, which will probably enrich the tool kit for basic researchers of glaucoma specialty and help with scientific investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Zhong
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated Medical School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 197 Ruijin Er Road, 200025, Shanghai, China.,Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital (Shanghai First People s Hospital), National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocular Fundus Diseases, Shanghai Engineering Center for Visual Science and Photomedicine, Shanghai Engineering Center for Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Huan Yu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated Medical School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 197 Ruijin Er Road, 200025, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated Medical School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 197 Ruijin Er Road, 200025, Shanghai, China
| | - Junjue Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated Medical School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 197 Ruijin Er Road, 200025, Shanghai, China
| | - Shouyue Huang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated Medical School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 197 Ruijin Er Road, 200025, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Huang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Bone and Joint Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 197 Ruijin 2nd Road, Shanghai 200025, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaohong Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated Medical School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 197 Ruijin Er Road, 200025, Shanghai, China
| | - Yisheng Zhong
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated Medical School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 197 Ruijin Er Road, 200025, Shanghai, China
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10
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Veys L, Devroye J, Lefevere E, Cools L, Vandenabeele M, De Groef L. Characterizing the Retinal Phenotype of the Thy1-h[A30P]α-syn Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:726476. [PMID: 34557068 PMCID: PMC8452874 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.726476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research, disease-modifying treatments of Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, remain out of reach. One of the reasons for this treatment gap is the incomplete understanding of how misfolded alpha-synuclein (α-syn) contributes to PD pathology. The retina, as an integral part of the central nervous system, recapitulates the PD disease processes that are typically seen in the brain, and retinal manifestations have emerged as prodromal symptoms of the disease. The timeline of PD manifestations in the visual system, however, is not fully elucidated and the underlying mechanisms are obscure. This highlights the need for new studies investigating retinal pathology, in order to propel its use as PD biomarker, and to develop validated research models to investigate PD pathogenesis. The present study pioneers in characterizing the retina of the Thy1-h[A30P]α-syn PD transgenic mouse model. We demonstrate widespread α-syn accumulation in the inner retina of these mice, of which a proportion is phosphorylated yet not aggregated. This α-syn expression coincides with inner retinal atrophy due to postsynaptic degeneration. We also reveal abnormal retinal electrophysiological responses. Absence of selective loss of melanopsin retinal ganglion cells or dopaminergic amacrine cells and inflammation indicates that the retinal manifestations in these transgenic mice diverge from their brain phenotype, and questions the specific cellular or molecular alterations that underlie retinal pathology in this PD mouse model. Nevertheless, the observed α-syn accumulation, synapse loss and functional deficits suggest that the Thy1-h[A30P]α-syn retina mimics some of the features of prodromal PD, and thus may provide a window to monitor and study the preclinical/prodromal stages of PD, PD-associated retinal disease processes, as well as aid in retinal biomarker discovery and validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lien Veys
- Research Group of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joyce Devroye
- Research Group of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Evy Lefevere
- Research Group of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lien Cools
- Research Group of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marjan Vandenabeele
- Research Group of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lies De Groef
- Research Group of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
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