scholarly journals Ablation of mpeg+ macrophages exacerbates mfrp-related hyperopia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary J. Brandt ◽  
Ross F. Collery ◽  
Joseph C. Besharse ◽  
Brian A. Link
Keyword(s):  
Visual Environment ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Macrophage Population ◽  
Refractive State ◽  
Genetic Inactivation ◽  
Refractive Development ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Abnormal Accumulation ◽  
Sd Oct

PURPOSE: Proper refractive development of the eye, termed emmetropization, is critical for focused vision and impacted by both genetic determinants and several visual environment factors. Improper emmetropization caused by genetic variants can lead to congenital hyperopia, which is characterized by small eyes and relatively short ocular axial length. To date variants in only four genes have been firmly associated with human hyperopia, one of which is MFRP. Zebrafish mfrp mutants also have hyperopia and similar to reports in mice, exhibit increased macrophage recruitment to the retina. The goal of this research was to examine the effects of macrophage ablation on emmetropization and mfrp-related hyperopia. METHODS: We utilized a chemically inducible, cell-specific ablation system to deplete macrophages in both wild-type and mfrp mutant zebrafish. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was used to measure components of the eye and determine relative refractive state. Histology, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy was used to further study the eyes. RESULTS: While macrophage ablation does not cause significant changes to the relative refractive state of wild-type zebrafish, macrophage ablation in mfrp mutants significantly exacerbates their hyperopic phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic inactivation of mfrp leads to hyperopia as well as abnormal accumulation of macrophages in the retina. Ablation of the mpeg1-positive macrophage population exacerbates the hyperopia, suggesting that macrophages are recruited in an effort help preserve emmetropization and ameliorate hyperopia.

scholarly journals Assessment of Global and Local Alterations in Retinal Layer Thickness in Ins2 (Akita) Diabetic Mice by Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W. Francis ◽  
Justin Wanek ◽  
Mahnaz Shahidi
Keyword(s):  
Optical Coherence Tomography ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Layer Thickness ◽  
Retinal Thickness ◽  
Normative Values ◽  
Retinal Layer ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Global And Local ◽  
Akita Mice ◽  
Sd Oct

Purpose/Aim. The Ins2 (Akita) mouse is a spontaneous diabetic mouse model with a heterozygous mutation in the insulin 2 gene that results in sustained hyperglycemia. The purpose of the study was to assess global and local retinal layer thickness alterations in Akita mice by analysis of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images.Materials and Methods. SD-OCT imaging was performed in Akita and wild-type mice at 12 and 24 weeks of age. Inner retinal thickness (IRT), outer retinal thickness (ORT), total retinal thickness (TRT), and photoreceptor outer segment length (OSL) were measured. Mean global thickness values were compared between Akita and wild-type mice. Local thickness variations in Akita mice were assessed based on normative values in wild-type mice.Results. Akita mice had higher blood glucose levels and lower body weights (p<0.001). On average, IRT, ORT, and TRT were approximately 2% lower in Akita mice than in wild-type mice (p≤0.02). In Akita mice, the percent difference between retinal areas with thickness below and above normative values for IRT, ORT, and TRT was 22%, 32%, and 38%, respectively.Conclusions. These findings support the use of the Akita mouse model to study the retinal neurodegenerative effects of hyperglycemia.

scholarly journals Excretion of Wild-Type and Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus in the Feces of Poliovirus Receptor-Transgenic Mice

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (11) ◽  
pp. 6541-6545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hein J. Boot ◽  
Daniella T. J. Kasteel ◽  
Anne-Marie Buisman ◽  
Tjeerd G. Kimman
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Oral Polio Vaccine ◽  
Fecal Excretion ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Poliovirus Type ◽  
Oral Transmission ◽  
Polio Vaccine ◽  
Poliovirus Receptor

ABSTRACT The emergence of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) strains in suboptimally vaccinated populations is a serious threat to the global poliovirus eradication. The genetic determinants for the transmissibility phenotype of polioviruses, and in particularly of cVDPV strains, are currently unknown. Here we describe the fecal excretion of wild-type poliovirus, oral polio vaccine, and cVDPV (Hispaniola) strains after intraperitoneal injection in poliovirus receptor-transgenic mice. Both the pattern and the level of fecal excretion of the cVDPV strains resemble those of wild-type poliovirus type 1. In contrast, very little poliovirus was present in the feces after oral polio vaccine administration. This mouse model will be helpful in elucidating the genetic determinants for the high fecal-oral transmission phenotype of cVDPV strains.

scholarly journals Analysis of genetic networks regulating refractive eye development in collaborative cross progenitor strain mice reveals new genes and pathways underlying human myopia

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana V. Tkatchenko ◽  
Rupal L. Shah ◽  
Takayuki Nagasaki ◽  
Andrei V. Tkatchenko ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Eye Development ◽  
Continuous Distribution ◽  
Genetic Networks ◽  
Visual Environment ◽  
Eye Growth ◽  
Refractive Development ◽  
The Impact

AbstractPopulation studies suggest that genetic factors play an important role in refractive error development; however, the precise role of genetic background and the composition of the signaling pathways underlying refractive eye development remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed normal refractive development and susceptibility to form-deprivation myopia in the eight progenitor mouse strains of the Collaborative Cross (CC). Genetic background strongly influenced both baseline refractive development and susceptibility to environmentally-induced myopia. Baseline refractive errors ranged from −21.2 diopters (D) in 129S1/svlmj mice to +22.0 D in CAST/EiJ mice and represented a continuous distribution typical of a quantitative genetic trait. The extent of induced form-deprivation myopia ranged from −5.6 D in NZO/HILtJ mice to −20.0 D in CAST/EiJ mice and also followed a continuous distribution. Whole-genome (RNA-seq) gene expression profiling in retinae from CC progenitor strains identified genes whose expression level correlated with either baseline refractive error or susceptibility to myopia. Expression levels of 2,302 genes correlated with the baseline refractive state of the eye, whereas 1,917 genes correlated with susceptibility to induced myopia. Genome-wide gene-based association analysis in the CREAM and UK Biobank human cohorts revealed that 985 of the above genes were associated with refractive error development in humans, including 847 genes which were implicated in the development of human myopia for the first time. Although the gene sets controlling baseline refractive development and those regulating susceptibility to myopia overlapped, these two processes appeared to be controlled by largely distinct sets of genes. Comparison with data for other animal models of myopia revealed that the genes identified in this study comprise a well-defined set of retinal signaling pathways, which are highly conserved across different species. These results provide attractive targets for the development of anti-myopia drugs.Author SummarySeveral lines of evidence suggest that variations in genetic background have a strong impact on a default (baseline) trajectory of eye growth and refractive development. Many studies also highlighted differences in susceptibility of different individuals to environmentally induced changes in refractive eye development, suggesting that genetic background plays an important role in visual regulation of eye growth. However, genes and signaling pathways that control the baseline trajectory of refractive eye development and those that regulate the impact of visual environment on refractive eye development are still poorly understood. Our data suggest that both processes are regulated by elaborate retinal genetic networks. Surprisingly, we found that although genes that control baseline refractive eye development and genes regulating the impact of visual environment on refractive development overlap, there is a large number of genes and pathways which exclusively control either the baseline trajectory of refractive eye development or the impact of visual environment on refractive development. Moreover, we found that many of the genes and pathways, which we found to be associated with either baseline refractive development or susceptibility to environmentally induced myopia in mice, are also associated with refractive error development in the human population and are highly conserved across different species. Identification of genes and pathways that underlie visual regulation of eye growth versus genes and pathways that control default trajectory of refractive eye development sheds light on the basic mechanisms of eye emmetropization and provides previously unexplored possibilities for the development of new treatment options for myopia.

Polymorphic SERPINA3-R124C reduces pathogenesis of its wild type by shortening the life time of oligomeric Aβ

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maruf Mohammad Akbor ◽  
Nobuyuki Kurosawa ◽  
Masashi Tanaka ◽  
Masaharu Isobe
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Alzheimer Disease ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Serine Protease Inhibitor ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Western Blot Assay ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
First Time ◽  
Β Sheet

Abstract Amyloid beta (Aβ) 42 peptide accumulated in Alzheimer disease (AD) patients’ brain, often colocalized with serine protease inhibitor family A member 3 (SERPINA3). Being a chaperon, SERPINA3 accelerated Aβ42 fibrillization. While analyzing chaperon activity of human SERPINA3 polymorphisms, we found SERPINA3-R124C played a role in protecting cells from Aβ42 cytotoxicity. SH-SY5Y cells exposed to Aβ42 preincubated with wild type SERPINA3 (SERPINA3-WT) resulted in extended toxicity leading cell death whereas Aβ42 with SERPINA3-R124C resulted in less cytotoxicity. Transmission electron microscope and thioflavin T assay revealed that SERPINA3-R124C shortened life time of small soluble oligomer and maintained β-sheet rich protofibril-like aggregates for longer time compared to that of with SERPINA3-WT. Western blot assay confirmed that SERPINA3-R124C converted Aβ42 mostly into high molecular aggregates. Here, we demonstrate first time that polymorphic SERPINA3 acts as a benign chaperon by modulating the transition states of Aβ42, which may contribute to the reduction of AD risk.

scholarly journals The NADPH Oxidase Nox4 Controls Macrophage Polarization in an NFκB-Dependent Manner

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Helfinger ◽  
K. Palfi ◽  
A. Weigert ◽  
K. Schröder
Keyword(s):  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Macrophage Polarization ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Superoxide Anions ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Macrophage Population ◽  
The Family ◽  
High Level

The family of NADPH oxidases represents an important source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the cell. Nox4 is a special member of this family as it constitutively produces H2O2 and its loss promotes inflammation. A major cellular component of inflammation is the macrophage population, which can be divided into several subpopulations depending on their phenotype, with proinflammatory M(LPS+IFNγ) and wound-healing M(IL4+IL13) macrophages being extremes of the functional spectrum. Whether Nox4 is expressed in macrophages is discussed controversially. Here, we show that macrophages besides a high level of Nox2 indeed express Nox4. As Nox4 contributes to differentiation of many cells, we hypothesize that Nox4 plays a role in determining the polarization and the phenotype of macrophages. In bone marrow-derived monocytes, ex vivo treatment with LPS/IFNγ or IL4/IL13 results in polarization of the cells into M(LPS+IFNγ) or M(IL4+IL13) macrophages, respectively. In this ex vivo setting, Nox4 deficiency reduces M(IL4+IL13) polarization and forces M(LPS+IFNγ). Nox4-/- M(LPS+IFNγ)-polarized macrophages express more Nox2 and produce more superoxide anions than wild type M(LPS+IFNγ)-polarized macrophages. Mechanistically, Nox4 deficiency reduces STAT6 activation and promotes NFκB activity, with the latter being responsible for the higher level of Nox2 in Nox4-deficient M(LPS+IFNγ)-polarized macrophages. According to those findings, in vivo, in a murine inflammation-driven fibrosarcoma model, Nox4 deficiency forces the expression of proinflammatory genes and cytokines, accompanied by an increase in the number of proinflammatory Ly6C+ macrophages in the tumors. Collectively, the data obtained in this study suggest an anti-inflammatory role for Nox4 in macrophages. Nox4 deficiency results in less M(IL4+IL13) polarization and suppression of NFκB activity in monocytes.

scholarly journals Effects of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 deficiency on mouse ova

Reproduction ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayaka Koyanagi ◽  
Hiroko Hamasaki ◽  
Satoshi Sekiguchi ◽  
Kenshiro Hara ◽  
Yoshiyuki Ishii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Proteomic Analysis ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome System ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome

Maternal proteins are rapidly degraded by the ubiquitin–proteasome system during oocyte maturation in mice. Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) is highly and specifically expressed in mouse ova and is involved in the polyspermy block. However, the role of UCHL1 in the underlying mechanism of polyspermy block is poorly understood. To address this issue, we performed a comprehensive proteomic analysis to identify maternal proteins that were relevant to the role of UCHL1 in mouse ova using UCHL1-deficientgad. Furthermore, we assessed morphological features ingadmouse ova using transmission electron microscopy. NACHT, LRR, and PYD domain-containing (NALP) family proteins and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperones were identified by proteomic analysis. We also found that the ‘maternal antigen that embryos require’ (NLRP5 (MATER)) protein level increased significantly ingadmouse ova compared with that in wild-type mice. In an ultrastructural study,gadmouse ova contained less ER in the cortex than in wild-type mice. These results provide new insights into the role of UCHL1 in the mechanism of polyspermy block in mouse ova.

scholarly journals Enterococcus faecalis 6-Phosphogluconolactonase Is Required for Both Commensal and Pathogenic Interactions with Manduca sexta

2014 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 396-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan F. Holt ◽  
Megan R. Kiedrowski ◽  
Kristi L. Frank ◽  
Jing Du ◽  
Changhui Guan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enterococcus Faecalis ◽  
Manduca Sexta ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Polystyrene Plate ◽  
Insect Gut ◽  
Insight Into

Enterococcus faecalisis a commensal and pathogen of humans and insects. InManduca sexta,E. faecalisis an infrequent member of the commensal gut community, but its translocation to the hemocoel results in a commensal-to-pathogen switch. To investigateE. faecalisfactors required for commensalism, we identifiedE. faecalisgenes that are upregulated in the gut ofM. sextausing recombinase-basedin vivoexpression technology (RIVET). The RIVET screen produced 113 clones, from which we identified 50 genes that are more highly expressed in the insect gut than in culture. The most frequently recovered gene was locus OG1RF_11582, which encodes a 6-phosphogluconolactonase that we designatedpglA. ApglAdeletion mutant was impaired in both pathogenesis and gut persistence inM. sextaand produced enhanced biofilms compared with the wild type in anin vitropolystyrene plate assay. Mutation of four other genes identified by RIVET did not affect persistence in caterpillar guts but led to impaired pathogenesis. This is the first identification of genetic determinants forE. faecaliscommensal and pathogenic interactions withM. sexta. Bacterial factors identified in this model system may provide insight into colonization or persistence in other host-associated microbial communities and represent potential targets for interventions to preventE. faecalisinfections.

scholarly journals A Profibrotic Phenotype in Naïve and in Fibrotic Lung Myofibroblasts Is Governed by Modulations in Thy-1 Expression and Activation

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pazit Y. Cohen ◽  
Raphael Breuer ◽  
Shulamit B. Wallach-Dayan
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Angiotensin Receptors ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Collagen Deposition ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Abnormal Accumulation ◽  
Free Environment ◽  
Deficient Mice

Lung fibrosis is characterized by abnormal accumulation of Thy-deficient fibroblasts in the interstitium of the alveolar space. We have previously shown in bleomycin-treated chimeric Thy1-deficient mice with wild-type lymphocytes that Thy1-deficient fibroblasts accumulate and promote fibrosis and an “inflammation-free” environment. Here, we aimed to identify the critical effects of Thy1, or the absence of Thy1, in lung myofibroblast profibrotic functions, particularly proliferation and collagen deposition. Using specific Thy1 siRNA in Thy1-positive cells, Thy1 knockout cells, Thy1 cDNA expression vector in Thy1-deficient cells, and Thy1 cross-linking, we evaluated cell proliferation (assessed by cell mass and BrdU uptake), differentiation (using immunofluorescence), and collagen deposition (using Sircol assay). We found that myofibroblast Thy1 cross-linking and genetic manipulation modulate cell proliferation and expression of Fgf (fibroblast growth factor) and Angtl (angiotensin) receptors (using qPCR) that are involved in myofibroblast proliferation, differentiation, and collagen deposition. In conclusion, lung myofibroblast downregulation of Thy1 expression is critical to increase proliferation, differentiation, and collagen deposition.

scholarly journals Mutations at pipX Suppress Lethality of PII-Deficient Mutants of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (15) ◽  
pp. 4863-4869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Espinosa ◽  
Miguel Angel Castells ◽  
Karim Boumediene Laichoubi ◽  
Asunción Contreras
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Synechococcus Elongatus ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Growth Defects ◽  
Genetic Inactivation ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
Synechococcus Elongatus Pcc 7942 ◽  
Pcc 7942 ◽  
Severe Growth ◽  
Null Mutants

ABSTRACT The PII proteins are found in all three domains of life as key integrators of signals reflecting the balance of nitrogen and carbon. Genetic inactivation of PII proteins is typically associated with severe growth defects or death. However, the molecular basis of these defects depends on the specific functions of the proteins with which PII proteins interact to regulate nitrogen metabolism in different organisms. In Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, where PII forms complexes with the NtcA coactivator PipX, attempts to engineer PII-deficient strains failed in a wild-type background but were successful in pipX null mutants. Consistent with the idea that PII is essential to counteract the activity of PipX, four different spontaneous mutations in the pipX gene were found in cultures in which glnB had been genetically inactivated.

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