Gene therapy reforms photoreceptor structure and restores vision in NPHP5-associated Leber congenital amaurosis.

The inherited childhood blindness caused by mutations in NPHP5, a form of Leber congenital amaurosis, results in abnormal development, dysfunction, and degeneration of photoreceptors. A naturally occurring NPHP5 mutation in dogs leads to a phenotype that very nearly duplicates the human retinopathy in terms of the photoreceptors involved, spatial distribution of degeneration, and the natural history of vision loss. We show that adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated NPHP5 gene augmentation of mutant canine retinas at the time of active degeneration and peak cell death stably restores photoreceptor structure, function, and vision with either the canine or human NPHP5 transgenes. Mutant cone photoreceptors, which failed to form outer segments during development, reform this structure after treatment. Degenerating rod photoreceptor outer segments are stabilized and develop normal structure. This process begins within 8 weeks after treatment and remains stable throughout the 6-month posttreatment period. In both photoreceptor cell classes mislocalization of rod and cone opsins is minimized or reversed. Retinal function and functional vision are restored. Efficacy of gene therapy in this large animal ciliopathy model of Leber congenital amaurosis provides a path for translation to human treatment.

Calcineurin trapped in liposomes inhibits the action potentials of isolated 3-days-old embryonic chick ventricle.

Calcineurin, an intracellular protein phosphatase (type 2B), is reported to inhibit L-type (slow) calcium channels and thereby play a key role in channel inactivation. The present study was undertaken to examine effects of calcineurin on slow channel dependent action potentials of 3-days-old embryonic chick ventricle and to assess the role of this enzyme in regulation of developing slow channels. Calcineurin trapped in phosphatidylcholine-liposomes to facilitate its intracellular uptake was found to inhibit maximal upstroke velocity (+Vmax), overshoot and duration of action potentials. At higher doses of calcineurin containing liposomes the preparations ceased to exhibit spontaneous activity but elicited electrically driven action potentials with lower +Vmax and overshoot. These observations show that calcineurin down-modulates the embryonic cardiac slow channels under basal conditions.

Microinjection of nonmuscle and smooth muscle caldesmon into fibroblasts and muscle cells.

Caldesmon is present in a high molecular mass form in smooth muscle and predominantly in a low molecular mass form in nonmuscle cells. Their biochemical properties are very similar. To examine whether these two forms of caldesmon behave differently in cultured cells, we microinjected fluorescently labeled smooth muscle and nonmuscle caldesmons into fibroblasts. Simultaneous injection of both caldesmons into the same cells has revealed that both high and low relative molecular mass caldesmons are quickly (within 10 min) and stably (over 3 d) incorporated into the same structures of microfilaments including stress fibers and membrane ruffles, suggesting that nonmuscle cells do not distinguish nonmuscle caldesmon from smooth muscle caldesmon. The effect of calmodulin on the incorporation of caldesmon has been examined by coinjection of caldesmon with calmodulin. We have found that calmodulin retards the incorporation of caldesmon into stress fibers for a short period (10 min) but not for a longer incubation (30 min). The behavior of caldesmon in developing muscle cells was also examined because we previously observed that caldesmon disappears during myogenesis (Yamashiro, S., R. Ishikawa, and F. Matsumura. 1988. Protoplasma Suppl. 2: 9-21). We have found that, in contrast to its stable incorporation into stress fibers of fibroblasts, caldesmon is unable to be incorporated into thin filament structure (I-band) of differentiated muscle.