translaminar-autonomous-system-model-for-modulation-intraocular

Translaminar Autonomous System Model for the Modulation of Intraocular and Intracranial Pressure in Human Donor Posterior Segments

There is a current unmet need for a new preclinical human model that can target disease etiology ex vivo using intracranial pressure (ICP) and intraocular ...

University of Wisconsin

Cultured trabecular meshwork (TM) cells are a valuable model system to study the cellular mechanisms involved in the regulation of conventional outflow resistance and thus intraocular pressure; and their dysfunction resulting in ocular hypertension. In this review, we describe the standard procedures used for the isolation of TM cells from several animal species including humans, and the methods used to validate their identity. Having a set of standard practices for TM cells will increase the scientific rigor when used as a model, and enable other researchers to replicate and build upon previous findings.

Consensus recommendations for trabecular meshwork cell isolation, characterization and culture.

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease with elevated intraocular pressure as one of the major risk factors. Glaucoma leads to irreversible loss of vision and its progression involves optic nerve head cupping, axonal degeneration, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss, and visual field defects. Despite its high global prevalence, glaucoma still remains a major neurodegenerative disease. Introduction of mouse models of experimental glaucoma has become integral to glaucoma research due to well-studied genetics as well as ease of manipulations. Many established inherent and inducible mouse models of glaucoma are used to study the molecular and physiological progression of the disease. One such model of spontaneous mutation is the nee model, which is caused by mutation of the Sh3pxd2b gene. In both humans and mice, mutations disrupting function of the SH3PXD2B adaptor protein cause a developmental syndrome including secondary congenital glaucoma. The purpose of this study was to characterize the early onset nee glaucoma phenotype on the C57BL/6J background and to evaluate the pattern of RGC loss and axonal degeneration in specific RGC subtypes. We found that the B6.Sh3pxd2b mutant animals exhibit glaucoma phenotypes of elevated intraocular pressure, RGC loss and axonal degeneration. Moreover, the non-image forming RGCs survived longer than the On-Off direction selective RGCs (DSGC), and the axonal death in these RGCs was independent of their respective RGC subtype. In conclusion, through this study we characterized an experimental model of early onset glaucoma on a C57BL/6J background exhibiting key glaucoma phenotypes. In addition, we describe that RGC death has subtype-specific sensitivities and follows a specific pattern of cell death under glaucomatous conditions.

Effect of ocular hypertension on the pattern of retinal ganglion cell subtype loss in a mouse model of early-onset glaucoma.

 Transforming growth factor-β2 (TGFβ2) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) crosstalk have been implicated in extracellular matrix regulation in the trabecular meshwork (TM) and ocular hypertension in mice. We investigated TLR4 expression in normal and glaucomatous human trabecular meshwork (HTM) sections and utilized a human perfusion organ culture model to determine TGFβ2-TLR4 signaling crosstalk in glaucoma.  Expression of TLR4 was determined in TM of normal and glaucomatous human eyes. Anterior segments of paired human eyes were perfused at a constant flow rate (2.5 μL/min) for 4 days to acquire stable baseline intraocular pressures (IOPs). We treated paired eyes with two different treatment paradigms: (1) TGFβ2 in one eye and vehicle control in the paired eye, (2) TGFβ2 in one eye and TGFβ2 + TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242 in the paired eye. Perfusate and TM tissue were collected and analyzed for fibronectin (FN) and collagen IV (COLIV) expression.  We observed increased TLR4 expression in glaucomatous HTM sections compared to normal (age-matched) ( < 0.05). Significant elevation of IOP was detected in 47% of TGFβ2-treated anterior segments ( < 0.01) compared to control, and in TGFβ2 treated compared with co-treatment with TGFβ2 + TLR4 inhibitor ( < 0.0001). An increase in FN and COLIV expression was observed after TGFβ2 treatment, and inhibition of TLR4 signaling decreased TGFβ2-induced FN and COLIV expression in perfusate ( < 0.05).  These studies identify TGFβ2-TLR4 crosstalk as a novel pathway in glaucoma. They provide a potential new target to lower IOP and explore glaucoma pathogenesis.

Effects of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Inhibition on Transforming Growth Factor-β2 Signaling in the Human Trabecular Meshwork.

A major risk for the development of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Elevated IOP is caused by increased outflow resistance due in part to excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in the trabecular meshwork (TM). The role of transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGFβ2) in inducing ECM production is well understood. Recent studies suggest that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) plays an important role in fibrogenesis. We have previously described a crosstalk between TGFβ2 and TLR4 in the development of ocular hypertension and glaucomatous TM damage. Nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-κB) is critical for TLR4 signaling. To determine the transactivation of NF-κB, TM cells were stimulated with cellular fibronectin containing the EDA isoform (cFN-EDA), TGFβ2, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in combination with a selective TLR4 inhibitor. cFN-EDA, TGFβ2, and LPS all induced transactivation of NF-κB and inhibition of TLR4 blocked the effect of each treatment paradigm. To evaluate the role of NF-κB in IOP regulation, we utilized our inducible mouse model of ocular hypertension by injection of Ad5.TGFβ2 in mice harboring a mutation in NF-κB and wild-type controls. IOP was measured over time and eyes accessed by immunohistochemistry for the ECM protein FN and the specific FN-EDA isoform. Ad5.TGFβ2 induced ocular hypertension and expression of FN and FN-EDA in wild-type mice, but mutation in NF-κB blocked the effect. These data suggest that NF-κB is necessary for TGFβ2-induced ECM production and ocular hypertension and the transactivation of NF-κB is dependent on both TGFβ2 and TLR4.

Article	Year
Consensus recommendations for trabecular meshwork cell isolation, characterization and culture. Experimental eye research\| PubMed ID: 29526795	2018
Effect of ocular hypertension on the pattern of retinal ganglion cell subtype loss in a mouse model of early-onset glaucoma. Experimental eye research\| PubMed ID: 31211954	2019
Effects of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Inhibition on Transforming Growth Factor-β2 Signaling in the Human Trabecular Meshwork. Journal of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics : the official journal of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics\| PubMed ID: 31834824	2020
Nuclear factor-kappa beta signaling is required for transforming growth factor Beta-2 induced ocular hypertension. Experimental eye research\| PubMed ID: 31923415	2020

Colleen McDowell

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