Impairment of Autophagy Causes Superoxide Formation and Caspase Activation in 661 W Cells, a Cell Line for Cone Photoreceptors, under Hyperglycemic Conditions.

Microvascular changes are the earliest adverse events in diabetic retinopathy, but recent studies have shown that oxidative stress induced by photoreceptors is associated with the development of the retinopathy. The purpose of this study was to determine the roles played by superoxides formed by photoreceptors under hyperglycemic conditions on autophagy. To accomplish this, we cultured 661 W cells, a transformed murine cone cell line, with 5.5 or 25 mM glucose in the presence or absence of 3 methyl adenine (3MA) or rapamycin. The superoxides were determined by flow cytometry using hydroethidine as a fluorescence probe. The autophagy activity was determined by changes in the expression of LC3B2 and P62 by immunoblotting. The degree of mitophagy was determined by the accumulation of mitochondria and lysosomes. Apoptotic changes of 661 W cells were determined by the caspase 3/7 activities. Our results showed higher levels of P62 and superoxides in cells cultured in 25 mM glucose than in 5.5 mM glucose. Addition of 3MA caused a significant increase of P62, superoxides, and caspase 3/7 activities in the 661 W cells cultured in high glucose but not in low glucose. These findings suggest that autophagy is important for the functioning and survival of 661 W cells under hyperglycemic conditions.

Construction of lentivirus-mediated mito-OGG1 gene overexpression and OGG1 gene knockdown model in 661W cells / 中华实验眼科杂志

Objective To construct and authenticate the lentiviral-mediated overexpression of mouse mitochondrial-targeted-8-oxoguanine DNA-glycosylase 1 (mito-OGG1) gene and the lentiviral-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) down-regulation of OGG1 gene expression model in 661W cells.Methods Constructed the target plasmids,including pLenti-EF1a-EGFP-P2A-Puro-CMV-Mito-OGG1-3Flag (pLenti-OGG1-GFP) and pLKD-CMV-G&PR-U6-shRNA (pLKD-shRNA).293T cells were used to obtain green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged lentiviral vector of interest by using a second generation lentivirus packaging system.293T cells were also used for the virus titer estimation.The multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 661W cells was detected by fluorescence microscopy.A stable transfected cell line was screened by puromycin.Immunofluorescence was used to detect transfection efficiency and cytochrome C oxidase Ⅳ (COXⅣ)-OGG1 co-localization.OGG1 mRNA and protein expression levels were detected by real-time qantitative PCR (QPCR) and Western blot.Results Sequencing results showed that the inserted sequence in the over-expression plasmid was consistent with the mouse OGG1 (NM_010957.4) gene sequence in the gene library.The original lentiviral titer after packaging and purification was between 2.0× 107to 6.0× 107 TU/ml.The optimal MOI of 661W cells was 40,and puromycin with a concentration of 4.0 μg/ml successfully screened stable transformation.The transfection efficiency was up to 100％ after screening.Immunofluorescence demonstrated successful co-localization of OGG1 and COXⅣ.The relative expression levels of OGG1 mRNA in the blank control group,OGG1 group,overexpression control group,shRNA group and low expression control group were 1.000±0.000,41.581±12.206,0.888±0.056,0.239±0.121 and 1.081±0.083,and the relative expression levels of OGG1 protein were 1.029±0.153,1.657 ± 0.237,0.752 ± 0.143,0.471 ± 0.149 and 1.036 ± 0.185,respectively,with significant differences between them (F=44.654,30.948;both at P＜0.05),the relative expression levels of OGG1 mRNA and protein in the OGG1 group were significantly higher than those in the overexpression control group,the relative expression levels of OGG1 mRNA and protein in the shRNA group were significantly lower than those in the lower expression control group,with significant differences between them (all at P＜0.05).Conclusions The mitoOGG1 overexpression and OGG1 knockdown models of 661W cells are successfully constructed,which provides the preliminary experimental basis for follow-up study.

(3R)-5,6,7-trihydroxy-3-isopropyl-3-methylisochroman-1-one alleviates lipoteichoic acid-induced photoreceptor cell damage.

OBJECTIVE: Exposure to oxidative stress will lead to the progression of retinal degenerative diseases, and unfortunately the exact mechanisms have not been fully understood. In this study, the protective effects of (3R)-5,6,7-trihydroxy-3-isopropyl-3-methylisochroman-1-one (TIM) against the lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-induced cell damage in mouse photoreceptor-derived 661W cells were investigated. METHODS: 661W cells were pre-treated with TIM at different concentrations (0.1-2.5 µM) before exposure to LTA. The oxidative stress and inflammatory response were detected in 661W cells. RESULTS: Pre-treatment of 661W cells with TIM (0.1-2.5 µM) for 4 h significantly decreased the LTA-induced toxicity. Meanwhile, pre-treatment with TIM could attenuate the imbalance state of redox in 661W cells by decreasing the levels of intracellular ROS and MDA, as well as enhancing the SOD activity and the level of GSH, through increasing the protein expression of Nrf2. Moreover, TIM pre-treatment decreased pro-inflammatory factors IL-1ß, IL-12 and TNFα, through inhibiting the nuclear factor kappa B. Pre-treatment with TIM also suppressed Egr1, Fosl1, and Lox12 gene expression. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that TIM may exert its protective effects against LTA-induced toxicity in 661W cells, through counteracting the oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammatory response. Our findings provided the scientific rational to develop TIM in the treatment of oxidative stress-induced photoreceptor cell damage.

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade suppresses H2O2-induced retinal degeneration in photoreceptor cells.

Exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to the development and progression of retinal degenerative diseases. However, the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. In this article, the role of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) signaling in H(2)O(2)-induced retinal damage was examined. Mouse photoreceptor-derived 661 W cells were treated with the AT1R blockers valsartan, losartan and candesartan before exposure to H(2)O(2). Cell viability, intracellular ROS level, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), cytochrome-c level, DNA fragmentation, caspase activity and gene expression were detected. Pre-treatment of 661 W cells with AT1R blockers significantly decreased H(2)O(2)-mediated toxicity and reduced the ROS level. In addition, apoptosis-related biochemical indicators showed that pre-incubation of AT1R blockers would elevate the MMP, decrease the release of cytochrome-c and formation of DNA fragmentation, and inhibit activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 in exogenous H(2)O(2)-treated 661 W cells. Moreover, treatment with AT1R blockers suppressed the expression of Egr1, Fosl1 and Lox12. These results suggest that AT1R signaling mediates H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis, at least partially through generating the ROS and increasing the levels of proapoptotic molecules in 661 W cells. AT1R blockade may provide a new therapeutic approach for preventing oxidative stress-induced retinal neural damage.