1
|
Zhen F, Zou T, Wang T, Zhou Y, Dong S, Zhang H. Rhodopsin-associated retinal dystrophy: Disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1132179. [PMID: 37077319 PMCID: PMC10106759 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1132179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhodopsin is a light-sensitive G protein-coupled receptor that initiates the phototransduction cascade in rod photoreceptors. Mutations in the rhodopsin-encoding gene RHO are the leading cause of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (ADRP). To date, more than 200 mutations have been identified in RHO. The high allelic heterogeneity of RHO mutations suggests complicated pathogenic mechanisms. Here, we discuss representative RHO mutations as examples to briefly summarize the mechanisms underlying rhodopsin-related retinal dystrophy, which include but are not limited to endoplasmic reticulum stress and calcium ion dysregulation resulting from protein misfolding, mistrafficking, and malfunction. Based on recent advances in our understanding of disease mechanisms, various treatment methods, including adaptation, whole-eye electrical stimulation, and small molecular compounds, have been developed. Additionally, innovative therapeutic treatment strategies, such as antisense oligonucleotide therapy, gene therapy, optogenetic therapy, and stem cell therapy, have achieved promising outcomes in preclinical disease models of rhodopsin mutations. Successful translation of these treatment strategies may effectively ameliorate, prevent or rescue vision loss related to rhodopsin mutations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fangyuan Zhen
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Provincial Ophthalmic Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- The Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study of Sichuan Province and Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Tongdan Zou
- The Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study of Sichuan Province and Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Ting Wang
- The Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study of Sichuan Province and Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yongwei Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Provincial Ophthalmic Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shuqian Dong
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Provincial Ophthalmic Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Shuqian Dong, ; Houbin Zhang,
| | - Houbin Zhang
- The Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study of Sichuan Province and Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Research Unit for Blindness Prevention, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU026), Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- *Correspondence: Shuqian Dong, ; Houbin Zhang,
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ortega JT, McKee AG, Roushar FJ, Penn WD, Schlebach JP, Jastrzebska B. Chromenone derivatives as novel pharmacological chaperones for retinitis pigmentosa-linked rod opsin mutants. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:3439-3457. [PMID: 35642742 PMCID: PMC9558842 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The correct expression of folded, functional rhodopsin (Rho) is critical for visual perception. However, this seven-transmembrane helical G protein-coupled receptor is prone to mutations with pathological consequences of retinal degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) due to Rho misfolding. Pharmacological chaperones that stabilize the inherited Rho variants by assisting their folding and membrane targeting could slow the progression of RP. In this study, we employed virtual screening of synthetic compounds with a natural product scaffold in conjunction with in vitro and in vivo evaluations to discover a novel chromenone-containing small molecule with favorable pharmacological properties that stabilize rod opsin. This compound reversibly binds to unliganded bovine rod opsin with an EC50 value comparable to the 9-cis-retinal chromophore analog and partially rescued membrane trafficking of multiple RP-related rod opsin variants in vitro. Importantly, this novel ligand of rod opsin was effective in vivo in murine models, protecting photoreceptors from deterioration caused by either bright light or genetic insult. Together, our current study suggests potential broad therapeutic implications of the new chromenone-containing non-retinoid small molecule against retinal diseases associated with photoreceptor degeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph T Ortega
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Andrew G McKee
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405-7102, USA
| | - Francis J Roushar
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405-7102, USA
| | - Wesley D Penn
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405-7102, USA
| | - Jonathan P Schlebach
- To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 441064965, USA. Tel: +1 2163685683; Fax: +1 2163681300; (Beata Jastrzebska); Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405-7102, USA. Tel: +1 812-855-6779; Fax: +1 812-855-8300; (Jonathan P. Schlebach)
| | - Beata Jastrzebska
- To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 441064965, USA. Tel: +1 2163685683; Fax: +1 2163681300; (Beata Jastrzebska); Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405-7102, USA. Tel: +1 812-855-6779; Fax: +1 812-855-8300; (Jonathan P. Schlebach)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Radhakrishnan R, Dronamraju VR, Leung M, Gruesen A, Solanki AK, Walterhouse S, Roehrich H, Song G, da Costa Monsanto R, Cureoglu S, Martin R, Kondkar AA, van Kuijk FJ, Montezuma SR, Knöelker HJ, Hufnagel RB, Lobo GP. The role of motor proteins in photoreceptor protein transport and visual function. Ophthalmic Genet 2022; 43:285-300. [PMID: 35470760 DOI: 10.1080/13816810.2022.2062391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rods and cones are photoreceptor neurons in the retina that are required for visual sensation in vertebrates, wherein the perception of vision is initiated when these neurons respond to photons in the light stimuli. The photoreceptor cell is structurally studied as outer segments (OS) and inner segments (IS) where proper protein sorting, localization, and compartmentalization are critical for phototransduction, visual function, and survival. In human retinal diseases, improper protein transport to the OS or mislocalization of proteins to the IS and other cellular compartments could lead to impaired visual responses and photoreceptor cell degeneration that ultimately cause loss of visual function. RESULTS Therefore, studying and identifying mechanisms involved in facilitating and maintaining proper protein transport in photoreceptor cells would help our understanding of pathologies involving retinal cell degeneration in inherited retinal dystrophies, age-related macular degeneration, and Usher Syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Our mini-review will discuss mechanisms of protein transport within photoreceptors and introduce a novel role for an unconventional motor protein, MYO1C, in actin-based motor transport of the visual chromophore Rhodopsin to the OS, in support of phototransduction and visual function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh Radhakrishnan
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Venkateshwara R Dronamraju
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Matthias Leung
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Andrew Gruesen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ashish K Solanki
- Department of Medicine, Drug Discovery Building, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina, USA
| | - Stephen Walterhouse
- Department of Medicine, Drug Discovery Building, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina, USA
| | - Heidi Roehrich
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Grace Song
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Rafael da Costa Monsanto
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Sebahattin Cureoglu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - René Martin
- Faculty of Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Altaf A Kondkar
- Department of Ophthalmology.,Glaucoma Research Chair in Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Frederik J van Kuijk
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Sandra R Montezuma
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Robert B Hufnagel
- Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function Branch, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Glenn P Lobo
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Medicine, Drug Discovery Building, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina, USA
| |
Collapse
|