Dataset Information

Prostaglandin E2 stimulates opposing effects on inner and outer blood-retina barrier function

ABSTRACT: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age individuals globally, and the associated complication of diabetic macular edema (DME) is the most frequent cause of vision loss in these patients. The retinal swelling characteristic of DME can be attributed to fluid leakage due to damage to the two blood-retina barriers—the inner barrier composed primarily of retinal microvascular endothelial cells and the outer barrier composed of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE). Based on the previously characterized proinflammatory roles of prostanoid signaling in DR, we assayed the distinct prostanoid signaling mechanisms regulating inner and outer blood-retina barrier function using in vitro methods involving monoculture of primary human cells. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) stimulation of retinal endothelial monolayers caused a decrease in barrier permeability in electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) assays and dextran flux assays. These effects occurred specifically via the EP4 receptor of PGE2. In direct contrast, PGE2 stimulation of RPE monolayers caused an increase in barrier permeability via the EP2 receptor. Other prostanoids did not alter barrier permeability in either monocellular model. RNA sequencing of retinal endothelial and RPE cells with or without PGE2 stimulation revealed significant dysregulation of genes encoding junctional complex components and signaling that likely drive the observed effects on cell barrier resistance. Together these results identify opposing mechanisms of PGE2 signaling in the retina via two distinct receptors, indicating cell type-specific and receptor-specific targets for the potential therapeutic management of DME or other causes of dysfunctional retinal vascular permeability.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE301373 | GEO | 2025/10/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Dataset's files

Source:

			Action	DRS
		Other

Items per page:

1 - 1 of 1

Similar Datasets

Project description:Proper spatial differentiation of retinal cell types is necessary for normal human vision. Many retinal diseases, such as Best disease and male germ cell associated kinase (MAK)-associated retinitis pigmentosa, preferentially affect distinct topographic regions of the retina. While much is known about the distribution of cell types in the retina, the distribution of molecular components across the posterior pole of the eye has not been well-studied. To investigate regional difference in molecular composition of ocular tissues, we assessed differential gene expression across the temporal, macular, and nasal retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choroid of human eyes using RNA-Seq. RNA from temporal, macular, and nasal retina and RPE/choroid from four human donor eyes was extracted, poly-A selected, fragmented, and sequenced as 100 bp read pairs. Digital read files were mapped to the human genome and analyzed for differential expression using the Tuxedo software suite. Retina and RPE/choroid samples were clearly distinguishable at the transcriptome level. Numerous transcription factors were differentially expressed between regions of the retina and RPE/choroid. Photoreceptor-specific genes were enriched in the peripheral samples, while ganglion cell and amacrine cell genes were enriched in the macula. Within the RPE/choroid, RPE-specific genes were upregulated at the periphery while endothelium associated genes were upregulated in the macula. Consistent with previous studies, BEST1 expression was lower in macular than extramacular regions. The MAK gene was expressed at lower levels in macula than in extramacular regions, but did not exhibit a significant difference between nasal and temporal retina. The regional molecular distinction is greatest between macula and periphery and decreases between different peripheral regions within a tissue. Datasets such as these can be used to prioritize candidate genes for possible involvement in retinal diseases with regional phenotypes. Reprinted from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=25446321">Whitmore, S.S., Wagner, A.H., DeLuca, A.P., Drack, A.V., Stone, E.M., Tucker, B.A., Zeng, S., Braun, T.A., Mullins, R.F., Scheetz, T.E., 2014. Transcriptomic analysis across nasal, temporal, and macular regions of human neural retina and RPE/choroid by RNA-Seq. Experimental Eye Research</a>. Used under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported </a>license. Additional RNA sequencing was performed on temporal, macular, nasal, inferior, and superior retina from a fifth subject and is included in this dataset. See original publication for details.

Project description:Purpose: The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) forms the outer blood-retinal barrier. Primary cultures of RPE can model the barrier, but are very sensitive to culture conditions. We examined how the neural retina regulates the RPE transcriptome in a culture model of embryonic development. Attention focused on the tight junctional genes essential for barrier function. Methods: Chick RPE from embryonic day 7 (E7) or embryonic day 14 (E14) was cultured on filters in a serum free medium. Media conditioned by organ culture of neural retinas was applied to the apical surface of the cultured RPE. Fetal bovine serum (2%) was included in some experiments. When the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) reached a plateau, total RNA was isolated to probe the chick genome on Affymetrix microarrays. The expression tight junctional mRNAs was confirmed by real-time PCR and immunoblotting the protein. Results: The TER was slightly increased by serum, but increased 2-3X by retinal conditioned medium. Serum diminished the effect of retinal conditioned medium. In basal conditions, 86% of the transcriptome expressed during development in vivo was also expressed in culture. Approximately 5% of the transcriptome expressed in culture was absent in vivo. E14 retinal conditioned medium affected 15% of the transcriptome in E7 cultures (24% if serum was included), but only 1.9% in E14 cultures (12% with serum). Examination of 610 genes important for RPE function revealed that mRNAs for 17% were regulated by retinal conditioned medium alone in E7 cultures, compared to 6.2% for E14. For tight junctions, retinal conditioned medium had the most affect on members of the claudin family. These results were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Besides regulating mRNA levels, immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry suggested additional mechanisms whereby retinal secretions regulated protein expression and localization. Conclusions: Gene expression in primary cultures of embryonic RPE resembled the native tissue, but expression, and differentiation, is improved when elements of the normal extracellular environment are replicated in culture. For a small group of proteins, retinal secretions were required to maintain in vivo-like expression in culture. Albeit insufficient, retinal secretions promoted differentiation of immature RPE and helped maintain the properties of more mature RPE. Keywords: Tissue interactions, retina, retinal pigment epithelium, blood-retinal barrier, tight junctions

Project description:Purpose: The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) forms the outer blood-retinal barrier. Primary cultures of RPE can model the barrier, but are very sensitive to culture conditions. We examined how the neural retina regulates the RPE transcriptome in a culture model of embryonic development. Attention focused on the tight junctional genes essential for barrier function. Methods: Chick RPE from embryonic day 7 (E7) or embryonic day 14 (E14) was cultured on filters in a serum free medium. Media conditioned by organ culture of neural retinas was applied to the apical surface of the cultured RPE. Fetal bovine serum (2%) was included in some experiments. When the transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) reached a plateau, total RNA was isolated to probe the chick genome on Affymetrix microarrays. The expression tight junctional mRNAs was confirmed by real-time PCR and immunoblotting the protein. Results: The TER was slightly increased by serum, but increased 2-3X by retinal conditioned medium. Serum diminished the effect of retinal conditioned medium. In basal conditions, 86% of the transcriptome expressed during development in vivo was also expressed in culture. Approximately 5% of the transcriptome expressed in culture was absent in vivo. E14 retinal conditioned medium affected 15% of the transcriptome in E7 cultures (24% if serum was included), but only 1.9% in E14 cultures (12% with serum). Examination of 610 genes important for RPE function revealed that mRNAs for 17% were regulated by retinal conditioned medium alone in E7 cultures, compared to 6.2% for E14. For tight junctions, retinal conditioned medium had the most affect on members of the claudin family. These results were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Besides regulating mRNA levels, immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry suggested additional mechanisms whereby retinal secretions regulated protein expression and localization. Conclusions: Gene expression in primary cultures of embryonic RPE resembled the native tissue, but expression, and differentiation, is improved when elements of the normal extracellular environment are replicated in culture. For a small group of proteins, retinal secretions were required to maintain in vivo-like expression in culture. Albeit insufficient, retinal secretions promoted differentiation of immature RPE and helped maintain the properties of more mature RPE. Experiment Overall Design: RPE were isolated from chicken embryos on embryonic day 7 or 14 and cultured, as described <Rahner C, Fukuhara M, Peng S, Kojima S, Rizzolo LJ. The apical and basal environments of the retinal pigment epithelium regulate the maturation of tight junctions during development. J Cell Sci. 2004;117:3307-18>. E7 is when tight junctions of the RPE begin to form; E14 is when tight junctions achieve their mature morphological appearance in vivo. The cells were cultured in medium that contains or lacks E14 retinal conditioned medium. Because serum inhibits the effect of retinal conditioned medium, serum was added to some cultures, resulting in 4 culture conditions for each age. To isolate total RNA, the RNeasy Protect kit (Qiagen) was used according to the manufacturer's protocols. For each culture, 3 independent preparations were used for analysis on Affymetrix microarrays of the chicken genome (Santa Clara, CA). The quality of the total RNA was assessed by the Keck Center, Yale University using formamide gels and a 2100 Bioanalyzer (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA)

Dataset Information

Prostaglandin E2 stimulates opposing effects on inner and outer blood-retina barrier function

Dataset's files

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets