Regulation of pHi and Fluid Flux in Corneal Endothelium

描述(申请人提供)：角膜是眼睛的主要屈光因素，因此它必须是光滑和透明的才能获得良好的视力。透明度受基质结缔组织水合程度的影响最大。水合作用依赖于角膜上皮和内皮细胞的代谢活动；然而，正是内皮细胞主要负责泵送离子和液体，以维持基质的稳定水化。该项目的长期目标是了解角膜内皮是如何完成这一工作的，以便开发药物疗法来增强因疾病或创伤而受损的角膜的内皮功能。内皮离子和流体泵的功能最依赖于HCOa“。我们的方法是识别、表征膜泵、转运体和通道，并将其整合到培养内皮细胞系统中跨内皮细胞HCCV和液体运输的模型中。在项目的这一阶段，我们重点了解顶端HCOa外流的机制，特别是碳酸氢酶(CA)和阴离子交换器的作用，以及它们如何缓冲和促进乳酸的运输。为此，我们将鉴定和定位乳酸：H+共转运体，并确定CaS和HCO3“转运体的药物抑制剂以及随后用小干扰RNA处理以减少CA或转运体表达的乳酸通量是否减少。我们还研究了腺苷受体刺激和可溶性腺苷环化酶在设定细胞[cAMP]中的作用，后者对血管内皮细胞功能有刺激作用。这也将使用siRNA方法，并检测cAMP/PKA介导的转运体、肌球蛋白轻链和CREB转录因子的磷酸化以及对净HCO3“转运蛋白的影响，作为相对PKA活性的测量。最后，我们将检验正在体外建立的HCOA”转运蛋白的模型，该模型是用体外培养的兔角膜细胞建立的。我们的方法是利用慢病毒传递干扰RNA分子来减少体内特定转运体的表达，并检测其对角膜厚度和内皮功能的影响。这一目标的结果将告诉我们在活体角膜中各种转运蛋白在维持角膜水化方面的相对重要性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The cornea is the primary refractive element of the eye and therefore it must be smooth and transparent for good vision. Transparency is most affected by the hydration level of the stromal connective tissue. Hydration is dependent on the metabolic activities of the corneal epithelium and endothelium; however it is the endothelium that is primarily responsible for pumping ions and fluid that maintains the steady-state hydration of the stroma. The long-term goal of this project is to understand how the corneal endothelium does this job, so that medical therapies can be developed to enhance endothelial function in corneas that have been compromised by disease or trauma. The endothelial ion and fluid pump is most dependent on HCOa" for its function. Our approach has been to identify, characterize, and integrate the membrane pumps, transporters and channels into a model for transendothelial HCCV and fluid transport in a cultured endothelial cell system. In this period of the project we focus on understanding the mechanisms for apical HCOa' efflux, particularly the roles of carbonic anhydrases (CAs) and anion exchangers and how they may buffer and facilitate the transport of lactic acid. To do this, we will identify and localize lactate: H+ cotransporters and determine if lactate fluxes are reduced by pharmacological inhibitors for CAs and HCO3" transporters as well as following treatment with small interfering RNA to reduce CA or transporter expression. We also examine the roles of adenosine receptor stimulation and soluble adenylyl cyclase in setting cell [cAMP], which has a stimulatory effect on endothelial function. This will also use the siRNA approach and examine cAMP/PKA mediated phosphorylation of transporters, myosin light chain, and CREB transcription factor as well as the effects on net HCO3" transport as measures of relative PKA activity. Lastly, we will examine the model of HCOa" transport that is being built in vitro with cultured cells in the in vivo rabbit cornea. Our approach is to use lentiviral delivery of interfering RNA molecules to reduce specific transporter expression in vivo and examine the effect on corneal thickness and endothelial function. The results from this Aim will tell us the relative importance of the various transporters in maintaining corneal hydration in the in vivo cornea.