Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
11-2015
Publication Source
Molecular Therapy
Volume
23
Issue
11
Start Page
1700
Last Page
1711
DOI
10.1038/mt.2015.141
Abstract
Degradation of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is essential for vision, and studies have implicated altered POS processing in the pathogenesis of some retinal degenerative diseases. Consistent with this concept, a recently established hiPSC-RPE model of inherited macular degeneration, Best disease (BD), displayed reduced rates of POS breakdown. Herein we utilized this model to determine (i) if disturbances in protein degradation pathways are associated with delayed POS digestion and (ii) whether such defect(s) can be pharmacologically targeted. We found that BD hiPSC-RPE cultures possessed increased protein oxidation, decreased free-ubiquitin levels, and altered rates of exosome secretion, consistent with altered POS processing. Application of valproic acid (VPA) with or without rapamycin increased rates of POS degradation in our model, whereas application of bafilomycin-A1 decreased such rates. Importantly, the negative effect of bafilomycin-A1 could be fully reversed by VPA. The utility of hiPSC-RPE for VPA testing was further evident following examination of its efficacy and metabolism in a complementary canine disease model. Our findings suggest that disturbances in protein degradation pathways contribute to the POS processing defect observed in BD hiPSC-RPE, which can be manipulated pharmacologically. These results have therapeutic implications for BD and perhaps other maculopathies.
Copyright/Permission Statement
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Singh, R., Kuai, D., Guziewicz, K. E., Meyer, J., Wilson, M., Lu, J., Smith, M., Clark, E., Verhoeven, A., Aguirre, G. D., & Gamm, D. M. (2015). Pharmacological Modulation of Photoreceptor Outer Segment Degradation in a Human iPS Cell Model of Inherited Macular Degeneration. Molecular Therapy, 23 (11), 1700-1711. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/mt.2015.141
Date Posted: 20 April 2018
This document has been peer reviewed.