scholarly journals Choroideremia: from genetic and clinical phenotyping to gene therapy and future treatments

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 251584141881749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Mitsios ◽  
Adam M. Dubis ◽  
Mariya Moosajee
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Nonsense Suppression ◽  
Treatment Interventions ◽  
Natural History Studies ◽  
Stem Cell Treatment ◽  
Clinical Phenotyping

Choroideremia is an X-linked inherited chorioretinal dystrophy leading to blindness by late adulthood. Choroideremia is caused by mutations in the CHM gene which encodes Rab escort protein 1 (REP1), an ubiquitously expressed protein involved in intracellular trafficking and prenylation activity. The exact site of pathogenesis remains unclear but results in degeneration of the photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium and choroid. Animal and stem cell models have been used to study the molecular defects in choroideremia and test effectiveness of treatment interventions. Natural history studies of choroideremia have provided additional insight into the clinical phenotype of the condition and prepared the way for clinical trials aiming to investigate the safety and efficacy of suitable therapies. In this review, we provide a summary of the current knowledge on the genetics, pathophysiology, clinical features and therapeutic strategies that might become available for choroideremia in the future, including gene therapy, stem cell treatment and small-molecule drugs with nonsense suppression action.

scholarly journals Cardiac Cell Therapy: Insights into the Mechanisms of Tissue Repair

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1201
Author(s):  
Hsuan Peng ◽  
Kazuhiro Shindo ◽  
Renée R. Donahue ◽  
Ahmed Abdel-Latif
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Tissue Repair ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Clinical Evidence ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Cell Delivery ◽  
Cardiac Cell Therapy ◽  
Stem Cell Treatment

Stem cell-based cardiac therapies have been extensively studied in recent years. However, the efficacy of cell delivery, engraftment, and differentiation post-transplant remain continuous challenges and represent opportunities to further refine our current strategies. Despite limited long-term cardiac retention, stem cell treatment leads to sustained cardiac benefit following myocardial infarction (MI). This review summarizes the current knowledge on stem cell based cardiac immunomodulation by highlighting the cellular and molecular mechanisms of different immune responses to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their secretory factors. This review also addresses the clinical evidence in the field.

scholarly journals Cholesterol homeostasis in the vertebrate retina: Biology and pathobiology

2020 ◽  
pp. jlr.TR120000979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sriganesh Ramachandra Rao ◽  
Steven J. Fliesler
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Neural Retina ◽  
Cholesterol Homeostasis ◽  
Sterol Synthesis ◽  
Topic Area ◽  
Sterol Transport ◽  
Age Related

Cholesterol is a quantitatively and biologically significant constituent of all mammalian cell membrane, including those that comprise the retina. Retinal cholesterol homeostasis entails the interplay between de novo synthesis, uptake, intra-retinal sterol transport, metabolism and efflux. Defects in these complex processes are associated with several congenital and age-related disorders of the visual system. Herein, we provide an overview of the following topics: a) cholesterol synthesis in the neural retina; b) lipoprotein uptake and intraretinal sterol transport in the neural retina and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE); c) cholesterol efflux from the neural retina and the RPE; and d) biology and pathobiology of defects in sterol synthesis and sterol oxidation in the neural retina and the RPE. We focus, in particular, on studies involving animal models of monogenic disorders pertinent to the above topics, as well as in vitro models using biochemical, metabolic, and omic approaches. We also identify current knowledge gaps as well as opportunities in the field that beg further research in this topic area.

scholarly journals Defined Medium Conditions for the Induction and Expansion of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace E. Lidgerwood ◽  
Shiang Y. Lim ◽  
Duncan E. Crombie ◽  
Ray Ali ◽  
Katherine P. Gill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Retinal Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Defined Medium ◽  
Human Pluripotent Stem Cell

scholarly journals Complement modulation in the retinal pigment epithelium rescues photoreceptor degeneration in a mouse model of Stargardt disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (15) ◽  
pp. 3987-3992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara L. Lenis ◽  
Shanta Sarfare ◽  
Zhichun Jiang ◽  
Marcia B. Lloyd ◽  
Dean Bok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Retinal Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Complement System ◽  
Complement Activation ◽  
Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Etiologic Factor ◽  
Photoreceptor Degeneration ◽  
The Complement System

Recessive Stargardt macular degeneration (STGD1) is caused by mutations in the gene for the ABCA4 transporter in photoreceptor outer segments. STGD1 patients and Abca4−/− (STGD1) mice exhibit buildup of bisretinoid-containing lipofuscin pigments in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), increased oxidative stress, augmented complement activation and slow degeneration of photoreceptors. A reduction in complement negative regulatory proteins (CRPs), possibly owing to bisretinoid accumulation, may be responsible for the increased complement activation seen on the RPE of STGD1 mice. CRPs prevent attack on host cells by the complement system, and complement receptor 1-like protein y (CRRY) is an important CRP in mice. Here we attempted to rescue the phenotype in STGD1 mice by increasing expression of CRRY in the RPE using a gene therapy approach. We injected recombinant adeno-associated virus containing the CRRY coding sequence (AAV-CRRY) into the subretinal space of 4-wk-old Abca4−/− mice. This resulted in sustained, several-fold increased expression of CRRY in the RPE, which significantly reduced the complement factors C3/C3b in the RPE. Unexpectedly, AAV-CRRY–treated STGD1 mice also showed reduced accumulation of bisretinoids compared with sham-injected STGD1 control mice. Furthermore, we observed slower photoreceptor degeneration and increased visual chromophore in 1-y-old AAV-CRRY–treated STGD1 mice. Rescue of the STGD1 phenotype by AAV-CRRY gene therapy suggests that complement attack on the RPE is an important etiologic factor in STGD1. Modulation of the complement system by locally increasing CRP expression using targeted gene therapy represents a potential treatment strategy for STGD1 and other retinopathies associated with complement dysregulation.

scholarly journals Intercellular Trafficking of Adenovirus-Delivered HSV VP22 from the Retinal Pigment Epithelium to the Photoreceptors—Implications for Gene Therapy

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 813-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan M. Cashman ◽  
Sonia L. Sadowski ◽  
David J. Morris ◽  
Jeanne Frederick ◽  
Rajendra Kumar-Singh
Keyword(s):  
Gene Therapy ◽  
Retinal Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Retinal Pigment ◽  
Intercellular Trafficking
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