Loss of REP1 impacts choroidal melanogenesis and vasculogenesis in choroideremiaShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Basis of Disease, ISSN 0925-4439, E-ISSN 1879-260X, Vol. 1870, no 2, article id 166963Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Choroideremia (CHM) is a rare X-linked chorioretinal dystrophy affecting the photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid, however, the involvement of the choroid in disease progression is not fully understood. CHM is caused by mutations in the CHM gene, encoding the ubiquitously expressed Rab escort protein 1 (REP1). REP1 plays an important role in intracellular trafficking of vesicles, including melanosomes. In this study, we examined the ultrastructure of the choroid in chm(ru848) fish and Chm(null/WT) mouse models using transmission electron and confocal microscopy. Significant pigmentary disruptions were observed, with lack of melanosomes in the choroid of chm(ru848) fish from 4 days post fertilisation (4dpf), and a reduction in choroidal blood vessel diameter and interstitial pillars suggesting a defect in vasculogenesis. Total melanin and expression of melanogenesis genes tyr, tryp1a, mitf, dct and pmel were also reduced from 4dpf. In Chm(null/WT) mice, choroidal melanosomes were significantly smaller at 1 month, with reduced eumelanin at 1 year. The choroid in CHM patients were also examined using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCTangiography (OCT-A) and the area of preserved choriocapillaris (CC) was found to be smaller than that of overlying photoreceptors, suggesting that the choroid is degenerating at a faster rate. Histopathology of an enucleated eye from a 74-year-old CHM male patient revealed isolated areas of RPE but no associated underlying CC. Pigmentary disruptions in CHM animal models reveal an important role for REP1 in melanogenesis, and drugs that improve melanin production represent a potential novel therapeutic avenue.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
ELSEVIER , 2024. Vol. 1870, no 2, article id 166963
Keywords [en]
Choroideremia; Transmission electron microscopy; Melanogenesis; Vasculogenesis; Optical coherence tomography
National Category
Medical Genetics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-200231DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2023.166963ISI: 001128247600001PubMedID: 37989423OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-200231DiVA, id: diva2:1829186
Note
Funding Agencies|Wellcome Trust [205174/ Z/16/Z]; Choroideremia Research Foundation, USA; Moorfields Eye Charity; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
2024-01-182024-01-182024-11-22