|
|
||||||||
1From the Laboratory for Retinal Cell Biology, Eye Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
METHODS. c-Fos-deficient mice (c-fos-/-) carrying the Leu450 variant of RPE65 were compared with c-fos-/- mice with Rpe65Met450. Expression of RPE65 was analyzed by Western blot analysis. Rhodopsin regeneration was determined by measuring rhodopsin after different times in darkness after bleaching. Susceptibility to light-induced damage was tested by exposure to white light and subsequent morphologic analysis. Activation of AP-1 and its complex composition was analyzed by electromobility shift assay (EMSA) and antibody interference. The contribution of AP-1 to apoptosis was tested by pharmacological inhibition of AP-1, using dexamethasone.
RESULTS. Compared with RPE65Met450, introduction of the RPE65Leu450 variant led to increased levels of RPE65 protein, accelerated rhodopsin regeneration, loss of protection against light-induced damage, and AP-1 responsiveness to toxic light doses, despite the absence of c-Fos. c-Fos was mainly replaced by Fra-2. Application of dexamethasone restored resistance to light-induced damage.
CONCLUSIONS. Increasing retinal photon catch capacity by introducing the Rpe65Leu450 variant overcomes light damage resistance provided by c-fos deficiency. Thus, a variation of RPE65 at position 450 is a strong genetic modifier of susceptibility to light-induced damage in mice. Under conditions of high rhodopsin availability during exposure to light, Fra-2 and, to a minor degree, FosB substitute for c-Fos and enable light-induced AP-1 activity and thus photoreceptor apoptosis. Regardless of the AP-1 complexs composition, glucocorticoid receptor activation inhibits AP-1 and prevents apoptosis. Thus, not the absence of c-Fos per se, but rather impairment of AP-1 DNA binding is protective against light-induced damage. This impairment may result from the absence of c-Fos or glucocorticoid receptor-mediated transrepression.
c-Fos was the first gene discovered to be essential for photoreceptor apoptosis induced by exposure to bright light.2 3 Photoreceptors of c-Fos-deficient mice (c-fos-/-) are fully functional,4 but are highly resistant to light-induced damage.3 Although in wild-type mice, exposure to damaging doses of light leads to a fast and sustained increase in the DNA-binding activity of AP-1, no such activation of AP-1 can be achieved by exposure to light in c-fos-/- mice.3 Analysis of the composition of the dimeric AP-1 complex reveals that c-Fos is a preponderant constituent of light-activated AP-1.5 Thus, the absence of c-Fos is considered to confer resistance to light-induced damage of photoreceptors by suppressing AP-1 DNA binding activity. This concept is reinforced by observations in mice with elevated corticosteroid levels. Increased activity of the glucocorticoid receptor diminishes light-induced AP-1 DNA-binding activity and counteracts light-induced apoptosis.6
Damage to photoreceptors by exposure to short periods of bright light is mediated by rhodopsin7 8 in a transducin-independent manner.9 In contrast to earlier observations in rodent models, the sensitivity of photoreceptors to light-induced damage in mice is modulated by the availability of rhodopsin during exposure to light: Fast rhodopsin regeneration by the visual cycle coincides with a high sensitivity, slow regeneration renders the retina more resistant, and a block of rhodopsin regeneration completely prevents light-induced damage.10 11 12 13 An amino acid variation at position 450 (Leu450Met) in the retinal pigment epithelial protein RPE65 has been discovered to be a genetic modifier of susceptibility to light-induced damage14 and also modifies the speed of rhodopsin regeneration (Nusinowitz S, Nguyen LT, Farber DB, Danciger M, ARVO Abstract 3758, 2002).12 The methionine variant has been discovered so far only in C57BL/6 mice or mouse lines on a mixed background derived from it. All other mouse strains analyzed so far carry the leucine variant12 14 (Danciger M, unpublished observation, 2003).
c-Fos-/- mice are maintained on a mixed background of C57BL/6 and 129/Sv (see http://www.jax.org). All experiments using c-fos-/- mice so far2 3 4 5 have been performed with mice carrying the Rpe65Met450 variant (fos-/-Rpe65M), which confers increased resistance to light-induced damage.12 14 In the present study, we introduced the light-sensitive variant, Rpe65Leu450, onto the c-fos-/- background (fos-/-Rpe65L), to test whether this genetic modification, known to increase susceptibility to light-induced damage in wild-type mice, would render the retinas of these animals vulnerable to light-induced damage.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Western Blot Analysis for RPE65
RPE65 protein levels were determined in eyecup homogenates containing retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and retina but not lens and vitreous.12 Western blot analysis was performed as described recently.12 Four new rabbit- and guinea pig-derived antibodies (Pin-5 to -8, Pineda Antikörper Service, Berlin, Germany) directed against amino acids 150 to 164 of mouse RPE65 (NH2-CNFITKINPETLETIK-COOH15 ) were tested. After affinity purification, antibodies Pin-5, -6, and -8 detected a single protein of 66 kDa in mouse eyecup homogenates. No staining was obtained when extracts of Rpe65-deficient mice18 were tested (not shown). All experiments shown here were performed using the Pin-5 antibody (polyclonal rabbit anti-RPE65) at a dilution of 1:2000. Immunoreactivity was visualized using a detection kit (Western Lightning; Perkin Elmer, Boston, MA).
Rhodopsin Regeneration
Rhodopsin content was determined spectrophotometrically in retinal extracts from both eyes.12 Rhodopsin was determined after overnight dark adaptation or immediately after the end of exposure to light (5000 lux of white light for 10 minutes with dilated pupils). Rhodopsin regeneration was measured after a period of 60 or 90 minutes of recovery in darkness after exposure to light.
Light-Induced Damage
Before exposure to light, animals were dark-adapted for 16 hours overnight. The pupils of the animals were dilated under dim red light (Cyclogyl 1%; Alcon, Cham, Switzerland; and phenylephrine 5%, Ciba Vision, Niederwangen, Switzerland) and the mice were exposed to diffuse white fluorescent light (TLD-36 W/965 tubes; Philips, Hamburg, Germany; UV-impermeable diffuser) for 2 and 6 hours (lights on at 10 AM) with an intensity of 15,000 lux in cages with a reflective interior.12
AP-1 Electromobility Shift Assay and Antibody Interference
Preparation of nuclear extracts, electromobility shift assay (EMSA) and antibody interference were performed as described previously.3 5 Briefly, one retina was homogenized in 400 µL 10 mM HEPES-KOH (pH 7.9), 1 mM ß-mercaptoethanol, and 1 mM dithiothreitol (DTT) in the presence of protease inhibitors. After incubation on ice for 10 minutes, the homogenate was vortexed for 10 seconds and centrifuged. The pellet was resuspended in 50 µL 20 mM HEPES-KOH (pH 7.9), 25% glycerol, 420 mM NaCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM EDTA, 1 mM ß-mercaptoethanol, and 1 mM DTT in the presence of protease inhibitors and incubated on ice for 10 minutes. Cellular debris was removed by centrifugation at 23,000g for 30 minutes at 4°C. Protein concentrations were determined using the Bradford protein assay (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA) with BSA as a standard. Nuclear extracts (5 µg) were incubated with 1 µL oligonucleotides coding for an AP-1-specific (5'-AAG CAT GAG TCA GAC AC-3') DNA-binding sequence (TPA response element, TRE) labeled with 32P-
-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (Hartmann Analytic GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany) on ice for 20 minutes with 19 µL 5 mM MgCl2, 0.1 mM EDTA, 0.75 mM DTT, 7.5% glycerol, 0.05% NP-40 containing 24 µg BSA and 2 µg poly d(I-C) (Roche Molecular Chemicals, Mannheim, Germany). Protein/DNA complexes were resolved at 150 V on a 1.5-mm 6% polyacrylamide gel using 0.25x tris borat EDTA (TBE) buffer and visualized on x-ray film.
For antibody interference, the following antibodies from Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA) were preincubated with the nuclear extracts: anti-c-Fos (catalog number sc-052), anti-Fra-1 (catalog number sc-183), anti-Fra-2 (catalog number sc-604), anti-FosB (catalog number sc-048), and a mixture (pan-Jun), of anti-c-Jun (catalog number sc-045), anti-JunB (catalog number sc-046), and anti-JunD (catalog number sc-074).
Dexamethasone Treatment
Mice received an intraperitoneal injection of dexamethasone (52 mg/kg body weight) 2 minutes before exposure to light, as described recently.6 17 Control animals received an injection of an equal volume of saline.
Morphology
For histologic sections, enucleated eyes were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer (pH 7.3) at 4°C overnight. After fixation, the inferior central retina adjacent to the optic nerve of each eye was trimmed, washed in cacodylate buffer and embedded in Epon 812. Sections (0.5 µm) were stained with methylene blue and analyzed by light microscopy.3
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Prevention of Photoreceptor Apoptosis by Application of Dexamethasone
Pretreatment of fos-/-Rpe65L mice with dexamethasone (52 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) restored retinal resistance against exposure to 15,000 lux of light for 2 hours. Three days after exposure to light, saline-injected animals displayed severe light-induced damage affecting RPE, ROS, and RIS morphology. Furthermore, ONL thickness was reduced in large central areas of the retina (Fig. 5) . In contrast, only a few scattered apoptotic nuclei of photoreceptors and a small number of condensed RIS and ROS resulted from exposure to light in dexamethasone-treated animals (Fig. 5) .
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Application of dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid agonist, restored resistance against light-induced damage in fos-/-Rpe65L mice. Activation of the glucocorticoid receptor interferes with AP-1 DNA-binding activity.6 17 Similarly, the absence of c-Fos in fos-/-Rpe65M mice disables light-induced AP-1 activity.3 Under extreme situations such as those present in fos-/-Rpe65L mice, in which photon catch capacity is dramatically increased, absent c-Fos may be replaced. Antibody interference indicates that among the Fos family members mainly Fra-2 and to a minor extent FosB replaced c-Fos under these conditions. Both, Fra-2 and FosB are not involved in light-induced photoreceptor apoptosis in wild-type animals.5 Recent experiments using mice in which the coding sequence of c-fos was replaced by the coding sequence of Fra-117 indicate that the regulatory sequences of the c-fos gene are particularly responsive to light-induced damage. Although Fra-1 under control of its own regulatory sequences is unresponsive to exposure to light,5 it can very well substitute for c-Fos when controlled by the c-fos regulatory sequences. Under these circumstances, Fra-1 is a constituent of light-activated AP-1, and photoreceptor apoptosis occurs despite the absence of c-Fos.17 Fra-2 and FosB proteins normally may not be involved in light-induced photoreceptor apoptosis, because the c-fos gene is more readily activated by light treatment and promotes the apoptotic cascade before Fra-2 and FosB can contribute. In addition, both proteins may be activated only beyond a certain level of proapoptotic stimulation that is surpassed under extreme conditions such as a combination of increased photon catch (due to fast regeneration), extreme light intensity, and long duration of exposure. In the absence of c-Fos, introduction of RPE65Leu450 may produce this kind of extreme situation, enabling Fra-2 and FosB to contribute to AP-1-mediated apoptotic signaling.
Nevertheless, AP-1 whether containing Fra-1,17 Fra-2, or FosB remained amenable to glucocorticoid receptor-mediated inhibition, indicating that AP-1 is the essential mediator of photoreceptor apoptosis. c-Fos is an important constituent of AP-1, but its absence can be overcome depending on the strength of the proapoptotic stimulus.
These data emphasize that for any analysis of light-induced retinal degeneration it is essential to know the genetic background of the mice under investigation. This includes not only the Rpe65 genotype affecting rhodopsin regeneration, but also other genetic modifiers of yet unknown function.14
| Acknowledgements |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation; the Velux Foundation, Glarus, Switzerland; and the German Research Council.
Submitted for publication November 6, 2002; revised January 8, 2003; accepted January 27, 2003.
Disclosure: A. Wenzel, None; C. Grimm, None; M. Samardzija, None; C.E. Remé, None
The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C.
1734 solely to indicate this fact.
Corresponding author: Andreas Wenzel, ONO-EM, H-Lab-13, Sternwartstrasse 14, CH8091 Zurich, Switzerland; awenzel{at}opht.unizh.ch.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. Rajala, M. Tanito, Y. Z. Le, C. R. Kahn, and R. V. S. Rajala Loss of Neuroprotective Survival Signal in Mice Lacking Insulin Receptor Gene in Rod Photoreceptor Cells J. Biol. Chem., July 11, 2008; 283(28): 19781 - 19792. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Danciger, D. Ogando, H. Yang, M. T. Matthes, N. Yu, K. Ahern, D. Yasumura, R. W. Williams, and M. M. LaVail Genetic Modifiers of Retinal Degeneration in the rd3 Mouse Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., July 1, 2008; 49(7): 2863 - 2869. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Samardzija, J. von Lintig, N. Tanimoto, V. Oberhauser, M. Thiersch, C. E. Reme, M. Seeliger, C. Grimm, and A. Wenzel R91W mutation in Rpe65 leads to milder early-onset retinal dystrophy due to the generation of low levels of 11-cis-retinal Hum. Mol. Genet., January 15, 2008; 17(2): 281 - 292. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Gu, W. A. Beltran, Z. Li, G. M. Acland, and G. D. Aguirre Clinical Light Exposure, Photoreceptor Degeneration, and AP-1 Activation: A Cell Death or Cell Survival Signal in the Rhodopsin Mutant Retina? Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., November 1, 2007; 48(11): 4907 - 4918. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. B. Wilson, K. Kunchithapautham, and B. Rohrer Paradoxical Role of BDNF: BDNF+/- Retinas Are Protected against Light Damage-Mediated Stress Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., June 1, 2007; 48(6): 2877 - 2886. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Wenzel, J. von Lintig, V. Oberhauser, N. Tanimoto, C. Grimm, and M. W. Seeliger RPE65 Is Essential for the Function of Cone Photoreceptors in NRL-Deficient Mice Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., February 1, 2007; 48(2): 534 - 542. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Samardzija, A. Wenzel, S. Aufenberg, M. Thiersch, C. Reme, and C. Grimm Differential role of Jak-STAT signaling in retinal degenerations FASEB J, November 1, 2006; 20(13): 2411 - 2413. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Dierks, B. Lei, K. Zhang, and D. P. Hainsworth Effects of Intravitreous Injection of Preserved and Nonpreserved Triamcinolone in Rabbit Retina--Reply Arch Ophthalmol, November 1, 2006; 124(11): 1666 - 1668. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. Wenzel, V. Oberhauser, E. N. Pugh Jr., T. D. Lamb, C. Grimm, M. Samardzija, E. Fahl, M. W. Seeliger, C. E. Reme, and J. von Lintig The Retinal G Protein-coupled Receptor (RGR) Enhances Isomerohydrolase Activity Independent of Light J. Biol. Chem., August 19, 2005; 280(33): 29874 - 29884. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
C. E. Reme The Dark Side of Light: Rhodopsin and the Silent Death of Vision The Proctor Lecture Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., August 1, 2005; 46(8): 2672 - 2682. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. Tomita, Y. Kotake, and R. E. Anderson Mechanism of Protection from Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration by the Synthetic Antioxidant Phenyl-N-tert-Butylnitrone Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., February 1, 2005; 46(2): 427 - 434. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. R. Kim, N. Fishkin, J. Kong, K. Nakanishi, R. Allikmets, and J. R. Sparrow Rpe65 Leu450Met variant is associated with reduced levels of the retinal pigment epithelium lipofuscin fluorophores A2E and iso-A2E PNAS, August 10, 2004; 101(32): 11668 - 11672. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M A Mainster and J R Sparrow How much blue light should an IOL transmit? Br. J. Ophthalmol., December 1, 2003; 87(12): 1523 - 1529. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |