SUMMARY Phagocytosis and degradation of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is fundamental to vision. Autophagy is also responsible for bulk degradation of cellular components but its role in POS degradation is not well understood. We report that the morning burst of RPE phagocytosis coincided with the enzymatic conversion of autophagy protein LC3 to its lipidated form. LC3 then associated with single membrane phagosomes containing engulfed POS in an Atg5 dependent manner that required Beclin1 but not the autophagy pre-initiation complex. The importance of this process was verified in mice with Atg5-deficient RPE cells that showed evidence of disrupted lysosomal processing. These mice also exhibited decreased photoreceptor responses to light stimuli and decreased chromophore levels that were restored with exogenous retinoid supplementation. These results establish that the interplay of phagocytosis and autophagy within the RPE are required for both POS degradation and the maintenance of retinoid levels to support vision.

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We report the large-scale use of compositional data analysis to establish a baseline microbiota composition in an extremely healthy cohort of the Chinese population. This baseline will serve for comparison for future cohorts with chronic or acute disease. In addition to the expected difference in the microbiota of children and adults, we found that the microbiota of the elderly in this population was similar in almost all respects to that of healthy people in the same population who are scores of years younger. We speculate that this similarity is a consequence of an active healthy lifestyle and diet, although cause and effect cannot be ascribed in this (or any other) cross-sectional design. One surprising result was that the gut microbiota of persons in their 20s was distinct from those of other age cohorts, and this result was replicated, suggesting that it is a reproducible finding and distinct from those of other populations.

Damage and loss of the postmitotic photoreceptors is a leading cause of blindness in many diseases of the eye. Although the mechanisms of photoreceptor death have been extensively studied, few studies have addressed mechanisms that help sustain these non-replicating neurons for the life of an organism. Autophagy is an intracellular pathway where cytoplasmic constituents are delivered to the lysosomal pathway for degradation. It is not only a major pathway activated in response to cellular stress, but is also important for cytoplasmic turnover and to supply the structural and energy needs of cells. We examined the importance of autophagy in photoreceptors by deleting the essential autophagy gene Atg5 specifically in rods. Loss of autophagy led to progressive degeneration of rod photoreceptors beginning at 8 weeks of age such that by 44 weeks few rods remained. Cone photoreceptor numbers were only slightly diminished following rod degeneration but their function was significantly decreased. Rod cell death was apoptotic but was not dependent on daily light exposure or accelerated by intense light. Although the light-regulated translocation of the phototransduction proteins arrestin and transducin were unaffected in rods lacking autophagy, Atg5-deficient rods accumulated transducin-α as they degenerated suggesting autophagy might regulate the level of this protein.This was confirmed when the light-induced decrease in transducin was abolished in Atg5-deficient rods and the inhibition of autophagy in retinal explants cultures prevented its degradation. These results demonstrate that basal autophagy is essential to the long-term health of rod photoreceptors and a critical process for maintaining optimal levels of the phototransduction protein transducin-α. As the lack of autophagy is associated with retinal degeneration and altered phototransduction protein degradation in the absence of harmful gene products, this process may be a viable therapeutic target where rod cell loss is the primary pathologic event. Autophagy is an intracellular pathway where cytoplasmic constituents are delivered to the lysosomes for degradation. Defective autophagy can contribute to the age-dependent accumulation of damaged proteins and organelles leading to altered cellular homeostasis and loss of function. [1][2][3][4][5] The metabolic roles of autophagy can be classified into two types, basal and induced. In nutrient-rich conditions, autophagy is suppressed but still occurs at low levels (basal autophagy); however, when cells are subjected to stress (starvation, injury, hypoxia), autophagy is activated immediately (induced autophagy). 6 Induced autophagy maintains the amino acid pool inside cells to adapt to starvation while constitutive autophagy has been shown to function as a cell-repair mechanism that is important for long-lived postmitotic cells. 7-11 Defects in autophagy have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases, 12-15 diabetes, 16,17 lysosomal storage disease 18 and the loss of vision. 19 In addition to macroautophagy, m...

Background Transgenic mice with cardiac restricted overexpression of tumor necrosis factor (MHCsTNF mice) develop progressive myocardial fibrosis, diastolic dysfunction and adverse cardiac remodeling. Insofar as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) does not directly stimulate fibroblast collagen synthesis, we asked whether TNF-induced fibrosis was mediated indirectly through interactions between mast cells and cardiac fibroblasts. Methods and Results Cardiac mast cell number increased 2–3-fold (p < 0.001) in MHCsTNF mice compared to littermate (LM) controls. Outcrossing MHCsTNF mice with mast cell deficient (c-kit−/−) mice showed that the 11-fold increase (p < 0.001) in collagen volume fraction in MHCsTNF/c-kit+/− mice was abrogated in MHCsTNF/c-kit−/− mice, and that the leftward shifted LV pressure-volume curve in the MHCsTNF/c-kit+/− mice was normalized in the MHCsTNF/c-kit−/− hearts. Furthermore, the increase in TGF-β1 and type I TGF-β receptor (TβR I) mRNA levels was significantly (p = 0.03, p = 0.01 respectively) attenuated in MHCsTNF/c-kit−/− when compared to MHCsTNF/c-kit+/− mice. Co-culture of fibroblasts with mast cells resulted in enhanced α-smooth muscle actin expression, increased proliferation and collagen mRNA expression, and increased contraction of 3-D collagen gels in MHCsTNF fibroblasts compared to LM fibroblasts. The effects of mast cells were abrogated by TβR I antagonist NP-40208. Conclusions These results suggest that increased mast cell density with resultant mast cell-cardiac fibroblast cross-talk is required for the development of myocardial fibrosis in inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Cardiac fibroblasts exposed to sustained inflammatory signaling exhibit an increased repertoire of pro-fibrotic phenotypic responses in response to mast cell mediators.