Cell Type-Selective Loss of Peroxisomal β-Oxidation Impairs Bipolar Cell but Not Photoreceptor Survival in the Retina

Spatial characterization of RPE structure and lipids in the PEX1-p.Gly844Asp mouse model for Zellweger spectrum disorder

Zellweger Spectrum Disorder (ZSD) is caused by defects in PEX genes, whose proteins are required for peroxisome assembly and function. Peroxisome dysfunction in ZSD causes multisystem effects, with progressive retinal degeneration (RD) among the most frequent clinical findings. However, much remains unknown about how peroxisome deficiency causes RD. To study RD pathophysiology in ZSD, we used the PEX1-p.Gly844Asp (G844D) mouse model, which represents the common human PEX1-p.Gly843Asp (G843D) variant. We previously reported diminished retinal function, diminished functional vision, and neural retina structural defects in this model. Here, we investigate the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) phenotype, examining morphological, inflammatory, and lipid changes at 1, 3, and 6 months of age. We report that RPE cells exhibit evident degeneration by 3 months that worsens with time, starts in the dorsal pole, and is accompanied by subretinal inflammatory cell infiltration. We match these events with imaging mass spectrometry for regional analysis of lipids in the RPE. We identified 47 lipid alterations preceding structural changes, 9 of which localize to the dorsal pole. 29 of these persist to 3 months, with remodeling of the dorsal pole lipid signature. 13 new alterations occur concurrent with histological changes. Abnormalities in peroxisome-dependent lipids detected by LC/MS/MS are exacerbated over time. This study represents the first characterization of RPE in a ZSD model, and the first in situ lipid analysis in peroxisome-deficient tissue. Our findings uncover potential lipid drivers of RD progression in ZSD, and identify candidate biomarkers for retinopathy progression and response to therapy.

A gram-scale synthesis of very-long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs)

This manuscript describes our third generation, gram-scale synthesis of very long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs), a unique and increasingly important class of lipids. Critical to this work and what makes it different from our previous approach to this family was the avoidance of oxidation sequences. Central to accomplishing this involved the use of a Negishi coupling reaction between the acid chloride derived from DHA and a saturated alkyl zinc reaction. Overall, the general approach required 6 synthetic transformations from DHA and was accomplished with an overall yield of 40%.

The peroxisome: an update on mysteries 3.0

Peroxisomes are highly dynamic, oxidative organelles with key metabolic functions in cellular lipid metabolism, such as the β-oxidation of fatty acids and the synthesis of myelin sheath lipids, as well as the regulation of cellular redox balance. Loss of peroxisomal functions causes severe metabolic disorders in humans. Furthermore, peroxisomes also fulfil protective roles in pathogen and viral defence and immunity, highlighting their wider significance in human health and disease. This has sparked increasing interest in peroxisome biology and their physiological functions. This review presents an update and a continuation of three previous review articles addressing the unsolved mysteries of this remarkable organelle. We continue to highlight recent discoveries, advancements, and trends in peroxisome research, and address novel findings on the metabolic functions of peroxisomes, their biogenesis, protein import, membrane dynamics and division, as well as on peroxisome-organelle membrane contact sites and organelle cooperation. Furthermore, recent insights into peroxisome organisation through super-resolution microscopy are discussed. Finally, we address new roles for peroxisomes in immune and defence mechanisms and in human disorders, and for peroxisomal functions in different cell/tissue types, in particular their contribution to organ-specific pathologies.

DHA Shortage Causes the Early Degeneration of Photoreceptors and RPE in Mice With Peroxisomal β-Oxidation Deficiency

Purpose

Patients deficient in peroxisomal β-oxidation, which is essential for the synthesis of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3) and breakdown of very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs), both important components of photoreceptor outer segments, develop retinopathy present with retinopathy. The representative mouse model lacking the central enzyme of this pathway, multifunctional protein 2 (Mfp2-/-), also show early-onset retinal decay and cell-autonomous retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degeneration, accompanied by reduced plasma and retinal DHA levels. In this study, we investigated whether DHA supplementation can rescue the retinal degeneration of Mfp2-/- mice.

Methods

Mfp2+/- breeding pairs and their offspring were fed a 0.12% DHA or control diet during gestation and lactation and until sacrifice. Offspring were analyzed for retinal function via electroretinograms and for lipid composition of neural retina and plasma with lipidome analysis and gas chromatography, respectively, and histologically using retinal sections and RPE flatmounts at the ages of 4, 8, and 16 weeks.

Results

DHA supplementation to Mfp2-/- mice restored retinal DHA levels and prevented photoreceptor shortening, death, and impaired functioning until 8 weeks. In addition, rescue of retinal DHA levels temporarily improved the ability of the RPE to phagocytose outer segments and delayed the RPE dedifferentiation. However, despite the initial rescue of retinal integrity, DHA supplementation could not prevent retinal degeneration at 16 weeks.

Conclusions

We reveal that the shortage of a systemic supply of DHA is pivotal for the early retinal degeneration in Mfp2-/- mice. Furthermore, we report that adequate retinal DHA levels are essential not only for photoreceptors but also for RPE homeostasis.

The murine retinal pigment epithelium requires peroxisomal β-oxidation to maintain lysosomal function and prevent dedifferentiation

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells have to phagocytose shed photoreceptor outer segments (POS) on a daily basis over the lifetime of an organism, but the mechanisms involved in the digestion and recycling of POS lipids are poorly understood. Although it was frequently assumed that peroxisomes may play an essential role, this was never investigated. Here, we show that global as well as RPE-selective loss of peroxisomal β-oxidation in multifunctional protein 2 (MFP2) knockout mice impairs the digestive function of lysosomes in the RPE at a very early age, followed by RPE degeneration. This was accompanied by prolonged mammalian target of rapamycin activation, lipid deregulation, and mitochondrial structural anomalies without, however, causing oxidative stress or energy shortage. The RPE degeneration caused secondary photoreceptor death. Notably, the deterioration of the RPE did not occur in an Mfp2/rd1 mutant mouse line, characterized by absent POS shedding. Our findings prove that peroxisomal β-oxidation in the RPE is essential for handling the polyunsaturated fatty acids present in ingested POS and shed light on retinopathy in patients with peroxisomal disorders. Our data also have implications for gene therapy development as they highlight the importance of targeting the RPE in addition to the photoreceptor cells.

Understanding the Roles of Very-Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (VLC-PUFAs) in Eye Health

Lipids serve many roles in the neural system, from synaptic stabilization and signaling to DNA regulation and neuroprotection. They also regulate inflammatory responses, maintain cellular membrane structure, and regulate the homeostatic balance of ions and signaling molecules. An imbalance of lipid subgroups is implicated in the progression of many retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetic retinopathy, and diet can play a key role in influencing these diseases' onset, progression, and severity. A special class of lipids termed very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs) is found exclusively in mammalian vertebrate retinas and a few other tissues. They comprise <2% of fatty acids in the retina and are depleted in the retinas of patients with diseases like diabetic retinopathy and AMD. However, the implications of the reduction in VLC-PUFA levels are poorly understood. Dietary supplementation studies and ELOVL4 transgene studies have had positive outcomes. However, much remains to be understood about their role in retinal health and the potential for targeted therapies against retinal disease.

The Role of Nrf2/sMAF Signalling in Retina Ageing and Retinal Diseases

Age-related diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and age-related macular disease, have become increasingly prominent as the population ages. Oxygen is essential for living organisms, but it may also cause disease when it is transformed into reactive oxygen species via biological processes in cells. Most of the production of ROS occurs in mitochondrial complexes I and III. The accumulation of ROS in cells causes oxidative stress, which plays a crucial role in human ageing and many diseases. Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key antioxidant transcription factor that plays a central role in many diseases and ageing in general. It regulates many downstream antioxidative enzymes when cells are exposed to oxidative stress. A basic-region leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor, MAF, specifically the small MAF subfamily (sMAFs), forms heterodimers with Nrf2, which bind with Maf-recognition elements (MAREs) in response to oxidative stress. The role of this complex in the human retina remains unclear. This review summarises the current knowledge about Nrf2 and its downstream signalling, especially its cofactor-MAF, in ageing and diseases, with a focus on the retina. Since Nrf2 is the master regulator of redox homeostasis in cells, we hypothesise that targeting Nrf2 is a promising therapeutic approach for many age-related diseases.

The essential role of docosahexaenoic acid and its derivatives for retinal integrity

The fatty acid composition of photoreceptor outer segment (POS) phospholipids diverges from other membranes, being highly enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The most abundant PUFA is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3), an omega-3 PUFA that amounts to over 50% of the POS phospholipid fatty acid side chains. Interestingly, DHA is the precursor of other bioactive lipids such as elongated PUFAs and oxygenated derivatives. In this review, we present the current view on metabolism, trafficking and function of DHA and very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs) in the retina. New insights on pathological features generated from PUFA deficient mouse models with enzyme or transporter defects and corresponding patients are discussed. Not only the neural retina, but also abnormalities in the retinal pigment epithelium are considered. Furthermore, the potential involvement of PUFAs in more common retinal degeneration diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration are evaluated. Supplementation treatment strategies and their outcome are summarized.

Polyunsaturated Lipids in the Light-Exposed and Prooxidant Retinal Environment

The retina is an oxidative stress-prone tissue due to high content of polyunsaturated lipids, exposure to visible light stimuli in the 400–480 nm range, and high oxygen availability provided by choroidal capillaries to support oxidative metabolism. Indeed, lipids’ peroxidation and their conversion into reactive species promoting inflammation have been reported and connected to retinal degenerations. Here, we review recent evidence showing how retinal polyunsaturated lipids, in addition to oxidative stress and damage, may counteract the inflammatory response triggered by blue light-activated carotenoid derivatives, enabling long-term retina operation despite its prooxidant environment. These two aspects of retinal polyunsaturated lipids require tight control over their synthesis to avoid overcoming their protective actions by an increase in lipid peroxidation due to oxidative stress. We review emerging evidence on different transcriptional control mechanisms operating in retinal cells to modulate polyunsaturated lipid synthesis over the life span, from the immature to the ageing retina. Finally, we discuss the antioxidant role of food nutrients such as xanthophylls and carotenoids that have been shown to empower retinal cells’ antioxidant responses and counteract the adverse impact of prooxidant stimuli on sight.

Unexpected failure of rod bipolar cell targeting using L7Cre-2 mice

Utilizing cell type-specific knockout mice has been an excellent tool for decades not only to explore the role of a gene in a specific cell, but also to unravel the underlying mechanism in diseases. To investigate the mechanistic association between dysfunction of the peroxisomal protein multifunctional protein 2 (MFP2) and retinopathy, we generated and phenotyped multiple transgenic mouse models with global or cell type-specific MFP2 deletion. These studies pointed to a potential role of MFP2 specifically in rod bipolar cells. To explore this, we aimed to create rod bipolar cell specific knockout mice of Mfp2 by crossing Mfp2^L/L mice with L7Cre-2 mice (also known as PCP2Cre), generating L7-Mfp2^-/- mice. L7Cre-2 mice express Cre recombinase under the control of the L7 promoter, which is believed to be exclusively expressed in rod bipolar cells and cerebellar Purkinje cells. Unexpectedly, only sporadic Cre activity was observed in the rod bipolar cells of L7-Mfp2^-/- mice, despite efficient Cre recombination in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Moreover, a variable fraction of photoreceptors was targeted, which does not correspond with the supposed specificity of L7Cre-2 mice. These observations indicate that L7Cre-2 mice can be exploited to manipulate Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, whereas they cannot be used to generate rod bipolar cell specific knockout mice. For this aim, we suggest utilizing an independently generated mouse line named BAC-L7-IRES-Cre.

Mouse Models to Study Peroxisomal Functions and Disorders: Overview, Caveats, and Recommendations

During the last three decades many mouse lines were created or identified that are deficient in one or more peroxisomal functions. Different methodologies were applied to obtain global, hypomorph, cell type selective, inducible, and knockin mice. Whereas some models closely mimic pathologies in patients, others strongly deviate or no human counterpart has been reported. Often, mice, apparently endowed with a stronger transcriptional adaptation, have to be challenged with dietary additions or restrictions in order to trigger phenotypic changes. Depending on the inactivated peroxisomal protein, several approaches can be taken to validate the loss-of-function. Here, an overview is given of the available mouse models and their most important characteristics.

The physiological functions of human peroxisomes

Peroxisomes are subcellular organelles that play a central role in human physiology by catalyzing a range of unique metabolic functions. The importance of peroxisomes for human health is exemplified by the existence of a group of usually severe diseases caused by an impairment in one or more peroxisomal functions. Among others these include the Zellweger spectrum disorders, X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, and Refsum disease. To fulfill their role in metabolism, peroxisomes require continued interaction with other subcellular organelles including lipid droplets, lysosomes, the endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria. In recent years it has become clear that the metabolic alliance between peroxisomes and other organelles requires the active participation of tethering proteins to bring the organelles physically closer together, thereby achieving efficient transfer of metabolites. This review intends to describe the current state of knowledge about the metabolic role of peroxisomes in humans, with particular emphasis on the metabolic partnership between peroxisomes and other organelles and the consequences of genetic defects in these processes. We also describe the biogenesis of peroxisomes and the consequences of the multiple genetic defects therein. In addition, we discuss the functional role of peroxisomes in different organs and tissues and include relevant information derived from model systems, notably peroxisomal mouse models. Finally, we pay particular attention to a hitherto underrated role of peroxisomes in viral infections.

ERG and Behavioral CFF in Light-Damaged Albino Rats

The full-field ERG is useful for index rod- or cone-mediated retinal function in rodent models of retinal degeneration. However, the relationship between the ERG response amplitudes and visually guided behavior, such as flicker detection, is not well understood. A comparison of ERG to behavioral responses in a light-damage model of retinal degeneration allows us to better understand the functional implications of electrophysiological changes. Flicker-ERG and behavioral responses to flicker were used to determine critical flicker frequency (CFF) under scotopic and photopic conditions before and up to 90 d after a 10-day period of low-intensity light damage. Dark- and light-adapted ERG flash responses were significantly reduced after light damage. The a-wave was permanently reduced, while the b-wave amplitude recovered over three weeks after light damage. There was a small, but significant dip in scotopic ERG CFF. Photopic behavioral CFF was slightly lower following light damage. The recovery of the b-wave amplitude and flicker sensitivity demonstrates the plasticity of retinal circuits following photopic injury.

Cone Photoreceptor Loss in Light-Damaged Albino Rats

We investigated the etiology of decreased cone-driven vision in a light damage (LD) model of retinal degeneration. To induce slow, moderate degeneration, albino rats underwent low-intensity light exposure for 10 days. Electroretinography was utilized to assess physiologic function of the rod- and cone-driven retinal function in LD and control rats. Immunohistochemistry targeting cone arrestin allowed for quantification of cone density and for comparison of the decline in function. Photoreceptor loss was quantified by outer nuclear layer thickness decreases, as observed by optical coherence tomography and histology. The LD rats showed decreased rod- and cone-driven function with partial recovery 30 days after cessation of light exposure. In addition, LD rats showed decreased cone photoreceptor densities in the central retinal region compared to control rats. Our results demonstrate that the loss of cone-driven visual function induced by light damage is at least partially due to the death of cone photoreceptors.