Neuropeptide processing and ischemic retina injury

描述（由申请人提供）：视网膜缺血与许多视网膜疾病有关。能够调节视网膜对缺血反应的一类分子是神经肽。缺血诱导的神经肽表达增加被认为是视网膜中的内源性保护机制。然而，为什么缺血性视网膜损伤仍然发生，而不管保护性神经肽的表达增加，这是知之甚少。神经肽最初合成为大的前体，通过一组加工酶的作用加工成较小的活性形式。我们对缺血性脑的平行研究表明，脑缺血对关键神经肽加工酶的生物合成活化步骤具有不利影响，导致神经肽前体在缺血性脑中积累。缺乏神经肽加工酶的动物对缺血性应激更敏感。这些发现指导我们研究是否在视网膜中也可能发生类似的缺血诱导的神经肽加工阻滞，以及这是否可能是缺血性视网膜损伤的机制。我们对视网膜神经节细胞（RGC）的初步研究结果支持了这一观点。人们对视网膜神经肽加工的分子机制知之甚少。本研究的具体目的是：1）建立前蛋白匡威1和2（分别为PC 1和PC 2）在视网膜神经肽加工中的潜在参与。这两种关键酶处理大脑中的许多神经肽，包括视网膜中也发现的那些。根据这一目标的研究包括检查的存在和发展变化的PC 1和PC 2在视网膜中的PC 1和PC 2在RGC的生物合成激活步骤和它们在神经肽加工的潜在作用的表征;和定量蛋白质组学比较的神经肽档案在视网膜的野生型，PC 1-null和PC 2-null小鼠。2)研究视网膜缺血如何改变PC 1和PC 2的激活步骤以及视网膜细胞产生神经肽，使用体内和体外缺血模型。还将研究PC 1缺失和PC 2缺失小鼠对视网膜缺血的反应。我们的长期目标是彻底了解视网膜中的神经肽加工及其在调节视网膜对伤害性压力的反应中的作用。最终，这些知识将有助于开发新的治疗策略和治疗视网膜疾病的目标。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Retinal ischemia has been implicated in a number of retinal disorders. One category of molecules that can regulate the retina's response to ischemia is neuropeptides. An ischemia-induced increase in neuropeptide expression has been considered an endogenous protective mechanism in the retina. It is poorly understood, however, why ischemic retinal injury still occurs regardless of an increased expression in protective neuropeptides. Neuropeptides are initially synthesized as large precursors that are processed into smaller, active forms by the action of a set of processing enzymes. Our parallel studies on ischemic brains have revealed that brain ischemia has an adverse effect on the biosynthetic activation steps of key neuropeptide processing enzymes, resulting in an accumulation of neuropeptide precursors in ischemic brains. Animals null of a neuropeptide processing enzyme are more sensitive to ischemic stress. These findings have directed us to investigate if a similar, ischemia-induced blockade in neuropeptide processing may also occur in the retina, and if this may be a mechanism of ischemic retinal injury. Results of our preliminary studies on retina ganglion cells (RGC) support such notions. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms of neuropeptide processing in the retina. The specific aims of this proposal are: 1) To establish the potential involvement of proprotein converse 1 and 2 (PC1 and PC2, respectively) in retinal neuropeptide processing. These two critical enzymes process many neuropeptides in the brain including those that are also found in the retina. Studies under this aim include examination of the presence and developmental changes of PC1 and PC2 in the retina; characterization of biosynthetic activation steps of PC1 and PC2 in RGC and their potential roles in neuropeptide processing; and a quantitative proteomic comparison of neuropeptide profiles in the retinas of wild type, PC1-null and PC2-null mice. 2) To investigate how retinal ischemia may alter the activation steps of PC1 and PC2 and the production of neuropeptides by retinal cells, using both in vivo and in vitro ischemia models. The response of PC1-null and PC2-null mice to retina ischemia will also be investigated. Our long-term goal is to obtain a thorough understanding of neuropeptide processing in the retina and its role in regulating the retina's response to injurious stresses. Ultimately, such knowledge will help development of new therapeutic strategies and targets for treatment of retinal diseases.