Apoptosis has been shown to be a significant form of cell loss in many diseases. Detachment of photoreceptors from the retinal pigment epithelium, as seen in various retinal disorders, causes photoreceptor loss and subsequent vision decline. Although caspasedependent apoptotic pathways are activated after retinal detachment, caspase inhibition by the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD fails to prevent photoreceptor death; thus, we investigated other pathways leading to cell loss. Here, we show that receptor interacting protein (RIP) kinase-mediated necrosis is a significant mode of photoreceptor cell loss in an experimental model of retinal detachment and when caspases are inhibited, RIP-mediated necrosis becomes the predominant form of death. RIP3 expression, a key activator of RIP1 kinase, increased more than 10-fold after retinal detachment. Morphological assessment of detached retinas treated with Z-VAD showed decreased apoptosis but significantly increased necrotic photoreceptor death. RIP1 kinase inhibitor necrostatin-1 or Rip3 deficiency substantially prevented those necrotic changes and reduced oxidative stress and mitochondrial release of apoptosis-inducing factor. Thus, RIP kinase-mediated programmed necrosis is a redundant mechanism of photoreceptor death in addition to apoptosis, and simultaneous inhibition of RIP kinases and caspases is essential for effective neuroprotection and may be a novel therapeutic strategy for treatment of retinal disorders.degenerations | necroptosis P hotoreceptor death and subsequent visual decline occurs when the photoreceptors are separated from the underlying retinal pigment epithelium. Physical separation of photoreceptors is seen in various retinal disorders, including age-related macular degeneration (1), diabetic retinopathy (2), as well as rhegmatogenous (i.e., caused by a break in the retina) retinal detachment (3, 4). Although surgery is carried out to reattach the retina, only two fifths of patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment involving the macula, a region essential for central vision, recover 20/40 or better vision because of photoreceptor death (4, 5). Thus, identification of the mechanisms that underlie photoreceptor death is critical to developing new treatment strategies for these diseases.Apoptosis and necrosis are two major cell death modalities (6). Apoptosis is a highly regulated process involving the caspase family of cysteine proteases. In contrast, necrosis has been considered a passive, unregulated form of cell death; however, recent evidence indicates that some necrosis can be induced by regulated signal transduction pathways such as those mediated by receptor interacting protein (RIP) kinases, especially in conditions in which caspases are inhibited or cannot be activated efficiently (7,8). Stimulation of the Fas and TNFR family of death domain receptors is known to mediate apoptosis in most cell types through the activation of the extrinsic caspase pathway. In addition, in certain cells deficient for caspase-8 or treated with the pan-caspa...

There is no known treatment for the dry form of an age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Cell death and inflammation are important biological processes thought to have central role in AMD. Here we show that receptor-interacting protein (RIP) kinase mediates necrosis and enhances inflammation in a mouse model of retinal degeneration induced by dsRNA, a component of drusen in AMD. In contrast to photoreceptor-induced apoptosis, subretinal injection of the dsRNA analog poly(I : C) caused necrosis of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), as well as macrophage infiltration into the outer retinas. In Rip3 À / À mice, both necrosis and inflammation were prevented, providing substantial protection against poly(I : C)-induced retinal degeneration. Moreover, after poly(I : C) injection, Rip3 À / À mice displayed decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as TNF-a and IL-6) in the retina, and attenuated intravitreal release of high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), a major damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP). In vitro, poly(I : C)-induced necrosis were inhibited in Rip3-deficient RPE cells, which in turn suppressed HMGB1 release and dampened TNF-a and IL-6 induction evoked by necrotic supernatants. On the other hand, Rip3 deficiency did not modulate directly TNF-a and IL-6 production after poly(I : C) stimulation in RPE cells or macrophages. Therefore, programmed necrosis is crucial in dsRNA-induced retinal degeneration and may promote inflammation by regulating the release of intracellular DAMPs, suggesting novel therapeutic targets for diseases such as AMD.

TNFα plays a critical role in RD-induced photoreceptor degeneration. This pathway may become an important target in the prevention of RD-induced photoreceptor degeneration.

Photoreceptor apoptosis is a major cause of vision loss in many ocular diseases. Significant progress has been made to elucidate the molecular pathways involved in this process, yet little is known about proteins counteracting these apoptotic pathways. It is established that heat shock proteins (HSPs) function as molecular helper proteins (chaperones) by preventing protein aggregation and facilitating refolding of dysfunctional proteins, critical to the survival of all organisms. Here, we investigated the role of HSP70 on photoreceptor survival after experimental retinal detachment (RD) in mice and rats. We found that HSP70 was up-regulated after RD and associated with phosphorylated Akt, thereby preventing its dephosphorylation and further activation of cell death pathways. Administration of quercetin, which inhibits HSP70 and suppresses Akt phosphorylation significantly increased photoreceptor apoptosis. Similarly, RD-induced photoreceptor apoptosis was augmented in mice carrying hypomorphic mutations of the genes encoding HSP70. On the other hand, administration of geranylgeranylacetone, which induces an increase in HSP70 significantly decreased photoreceptor apoptosis after RD through prolonged activation of Akt pathway. Thus, HSP70 may be a favorable potential target to increase photoreceptor cell survival after RD.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) plays a critical role in tissue remodeling under both physiological and pathological conditions. Although MMP-9 expression is low in most cells and is tightly controlled, the mechanism of its regulation is poorly understood. We utilized mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) that were nullizygous for the catalytic ␣ subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is a key regulator of energy homeostasis, to identify AMPK as a suppressor of MMP-9 expression. Total AMPK␣ deletion significantly elevated MMP-9 expression compared with wild-type (WT) MEFs, whereas single knock-out of the isoforms AMPK␣1 and AMPK␣2 caused minimal change in the level of MMP-9 expression. The suppressive role of AMPK on MMP-9 expression was mediated through both its activity and presence. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9, 2 gelatinase B) degrades denatured collagens and native collagen type IV, which is a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and basement membranes (1). Under normal circumstances, the degradation of the ECM by MMP-9 is a tightly controlled process involved in physiological wound healing and embryo development (1, 2). Conversely, aberrant degradation of ECM by excess MMP-9 expression results in the pathologic destruction of connective tissue seen in cancer, arterial sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis (1, 3). Therefore, under physiological conditions, regulated MMP-9 expression is low (1), but the mechanisms behind this are obscure.AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a serine/threonine kinase, which regulates energy homeostasis and metabolic stress (4). AMPK acts as a sensor of cellular energy status and maintains the balance between ATP production and consumption. In mammals, AMPK exists as a heterotrimer with ␣, ␤, and ␥ subunits, each of which is encoded by two or three genes (␣1, ␣2, ␤1, ␤2, ␥1, ␥2, and ␥3). The ␣ subunit possesses catalytic activity, whereas the ␤ and ␥ subunits are regulatory and maintain the stability of the heterotrimer complex. The importance of AMPK␣ is illustrated by the fact that dual deficiency of AMPK␣1 and AMPK␣2 is embryonic lethal (5).Recent evidence suggests that AMPK has a much wider range of functions, including the regulation of cell growth, cell proliferation, cell polarity, and autophagy (6, 7). Because these functions are closely linked to the pathology of MMP-9-related diseases, including cancer, arterial sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, we hypothesized that AMPK regulates MMP-9 expression. To address this, in the present study, we utilized AMPK␣-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) to investigate the effect of the genetic deletion and activation of AMPK on MMP-9 expression. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESAntibodies, Recombinant Proteins, and Reagents-All antibodies, except for MMP-9 (Abcam, Cambridge, MA) and AMPK␣2 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA), were purchased from Cell Signaling (Beverly, MA). Recombinant mouse TNF-␣, MMP-9, and MMP-2 proteins were obtained from R&D Systems (

5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-4-ribofuranoside (AICAR), an analog of AMP, is widely used as an activator of AMP-kinase (AMPK), a protein that regulates the responses of the cell to energy change. We studied the effects of AICAR on the growth of retinoblastoma cell lines (Y79, WERI, and RB143). AICAR inhibited Rb cell growth, induced apoptosis and S-phase cell cycle arrest, and led to activation of AMPK. These effects were abolished by treatment with dypiridamole, an inhibitor that blocks entrance of AICAR into cells. Treatment with the adenosine kinase inhibitor 5-iodotubericidin to inhibit the conversion of AICAR to ZMP (the direct activator of AMPK) reversed most of the growth-inhibiting effects of AICAR, indicating that some of the antiproliferative effects of AICAR are mediated through AMPK activation. In addition, AICAR treatment was associated with inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, decreased phosphorylation of ribosomal protein-S6 and 4E-BP1, down-regulation of cyclins A and E, and decreased expression of p21. Our results indicate that AICAR-induced activation of AMPK inhibits retinoblastoma cell growth. This is one of the first descriptions of a nonchemotherapeutic drug with low toxicity that may be effective in treating Rb patients.

5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-4-ribofuranoside (AICAR), an analog of AMP is widely used as an activator of AMP-kinase (AMPK), a protein that regulates the responses of the cell to energy change. Recently, we showed that AICAR-induced AMPK activation inhibits the growth of retinoblastoma cells in vitro by decreasing cyclins and by inducing apoptosis and S-phase arrest. In this study, we investigated the effects of AMPK activator AICAR on the growth of retinoblastoma in vivo. Intraperitoneal injection of AICAR resulted in 48% growth inhibition of Y79 retinoblastoma cell tumors in mice. Tumors isolated from mice treated with AICAR had decreased expression of Ki67 and increased apoptotic cells (TUNEL positive) compared with the control. In addition, AICAR treatment suppressed significantly tumor vessel density and macrophage infiltration. We also showed that AICAR administration resulted in AMPK activation and mTOR pathway inhibition. Paradoxically observed down-regulation of p21, which indicates that p21 may have a novel function of an oncogene in retinoblastoma tumor. Our results indicate that AICAR treatment inhibited the growth of retinoblastoma tumor in vivo via AMPK/mTORC1 pathway and by apoptogenic, anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenesis mechanism. AICAR is a promising novel non-chemotherapeutic drug that may be effective as an adjuvant in treating Retinoblastoma.

Effects of orexin A on secretion of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and thyrotropin (TSH) in rats were studied. Orexin A (50 microg/kg) was injected iv, and the rats were serially decapitated. The effects of orexin A on TRH release from the rat hypothalamus in vitro and on TSH release from the anterior pituitary in vitro were also investigated. TRH and thyroid hormone were measured by individual radioimmunoassays. TSH was determined by the enzyme-immunoassay method. The hypothalamic TRH contents increased significantly after orexin A injection, whereas its plasma concentrations tended to decrease, but not significantly. The plasma TSH levels decreased significantly in a dose-related manner with a nadir at 15 min after injection. The plasma thyroid hormone levels showed no changes. TRH release from the rat hypothalamus in vitro was inhibited significantly in a dose-related manner with the addition of orexin A. TSH release from the anterior pituitary in vitro was not affected with the addition of orexin A. The findings suggest that orexin A acts on the hypothalamus to inhibit TRH release.