| 1. |
- Bujakowska, Kinga, et al.
(författare)
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Study of Gene-Targeted Mouse Models of Splicing Factor Gene Prpf31 Implicated in Human Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)
- 2009
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Ingår i: Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. - : Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). - 1552-5783. ; 50:12, s. 5927-5933
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE. Pre-mRNA processing factor 31 (PRPF31) is a ubiquitous protein needed for the assembly of the pre-mRNA splicing machinery. It has been shown that mutations in this gene cause autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa 11 (RP11), which is characterized by rod-cell degeneration. Interestingly, mutations in this ubiquitously expressed gene do not lead to phenotypes other than retinal malfunction. Furthermore, the dominant inheritance pattern has shown incomplete penetrance, which poses interesting questions about the disease mechanism of RP11. METHODS. To characterize PRPF31 function in the rod cells, two animal models have been generated. One was a heterozygous knock-in mouse (Prpf31(A216P/+)) carrying a point mutation p.A216P, which has previously been identified in RP11 patients. The second was a heterozygous knockout mouse (Prpf31(+/-)). Retinal degeneration in RP11 mouse models was monitored by electroretinography and histology. RESULTS. Generation of the mouse models is presented, as are results of ERGs and retinal morphology. No degenerative phenotype on fundus examination was found in Prpf31(A216P/+) and Prpf31(+/-) mice. Prpf31(A216P/A216P) and Prpf31(-/-) genotypes were embryonic lethal. CONCLUSIONS. The results imply that Prpf31 is necessary for survival, and there is no compensation mechanism in mouse for the lack of this splicing factor. The authors suggest that p.A216P mutation in Prpf31 does not exert a dominant negative effect and that one Prpf31 wild-type allele is sufficient for maintenance of the healthy retina in mice.
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| 2. |
- Linton, Jonathan D., et al.
(författare)
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Flow of energy in the outer retina in darkness and in light
- 2010
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490 .- 0027-8424. ; 107:19, s. 8599-8604
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Structural features of neurons create challenges for effective production and distribution of essential metabolic energy. We investigated how metabolic energy is distributed between cellular compartments in photoreceptors. In avascular retinas, aerobic production of energy occurs only in mitochondria that are located centrally within the photoreceptor. Our findings indicate that metabolic energy flows from these central mitochondria as phosphocreatine toward the photoreceptor's synaptic terminal in darkness. In light, it flows in the opposite direction as ATP toward the outer segment. Consistent with this model, inhibition of creatine kinase in avascular retinas blocks synaptic transmission without influencing outer segment activity. Our findings also reveal how vascularization of neuronal tissue can influence the strategies neurons use for energy management. In vascularized retinas, mitochondria in the synaptic terminals of photoreceptors make neurotransmission less dependent on creatine kinase. Thus, vasculature of the tissue and the intracellular distribution of mitochondria can play key roles in setting the strategy for energy distribution in neurons.
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| 3. |
- Paquet-Durand, Francois, et al.
(författare)
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A key role for cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) channels in cGMP-related retinitis pigmentosa
- 2011
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Ingår i: Human Molecular Genetics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0964-6906 .- 1460-2083. ; 20:5, s. 941-947
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The rd1 natural mutant is one of the first and probably the most commonly studied mouse model for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a severe and frequently blinding human retinal degeneration. In several decades of research, the link between the increase in photoreceptor cGMP levels and the extremely rapid cell death gave rise to a number of hypotheses. Here, we provide clear evidence that the presence of cyclic nucleotide gated (CNG) channels in the outer segment membrane is the key to rod photoreceptor loss. In Cngb1(-/-) x rd1 double mutants devoid of regular CNG channels, cGMP levels are still pathologically high, but rod photoreceptor viability and outer segment morphology are greatly improved. Importantly, cone photoreceptors, the basis for high-resolution daylight and colour vision, survived and remained functional for extended periods of time. These findings strongly support the hypothesis of deleterious calcium (Ca2+)-influx as the cause of rapid rod cell death and highlight the importance of CNG channels in this process. Furthermore, our findings suggest that targeting rod CNG channels, rather than general Ca2+-channel blockade, is a most promising symptomatic approach to treat otherwise incurable forms of cGMP-related RP.
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| 4. |
- Sahaboglu, Ayse, et al.
(författare)
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PARP1 Gene Knock-Out Increases Resistance to Retinal Degeneration without Affecting Retinal Function
- 2010
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 5:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited neurodegenerative diseases affecting photoreceptors and causing blindness in humans. Previously, excessive activation of enzymes belonging to the poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) group was shown to be involved in photoreceptor degeneration in the human homologous rd1 mouse model for RP. Since there are at least 16 different PARP isoforms, we investigated the exact relevance of the predominant isoform - PARP1 - for photoreceptor cell death using PARP1 knock-out (KO) mice. In vivo and ex vivo morphological analysis using optic coherence tomography (OCT) and conventional histology revealed no major alterations of retinal phenotype when compared to wild-type (wt). Likewise, retinal function as assessed by electroretinography (ERG) was normal in PARP1 KO animals. We then used retinal explant cultures derived from wt, rd1, and PARP1 KO animals to test their susceptibility to chemically induced photoreceptor degeneration. Since photoreceptor degeneration in the rd1 retina is triggered by a loss-of-function in phosphodiesterase-6 (PDE6), we used selective PDE6 inhibition to emulate the rd1 situation on non-rd1 genotypes. While wt retina subjected to PDE6 inhibition showed massive photoreceptor degeneration comparable to rd1 retina, in the PARP1 KO situation, cell death was robustly reduced. Together, these findings demonstrate that PARP1 activity is in principle dispensable for normal retinal function, but is of major importance for photoreceptor degeneration under pathological conditions. Moreover, our results suggest that PARP dependent cell death or PARthanatos may play a major role in retinal degeneration and highlight the possibility to use specific PARP inhibitors for the treatment of RP.
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