Ion Conductances in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium

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ABSTRACT The health and integrity of photoreceptors critically depend on the composition and volume of their extracellular microenvironment. Regulation of the ionic composition and volume of the subretinal space is accomplished by the transport of ions and water across the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a multifunctional monolayer of cells juxtaposed between the photoreceptor outer segments and the choroidal blood supply. RPE transport is the result of the coordinated activity of a diverse group of ion transport proteins and channels residing in its apical and basolateral membranes. With changes in retinal activity, chemical signals released by retinal cells diffuse to the RPE and initiate adjustments in its transport to compensate for alterations in the photoreceptor microenvironment. Disruption of these transport processes or their regulation may cause adverse changes in the subretinal space, contributing to retinal disease. These channels and transporters are also responsible for maintaining the intracellular composition of the RPE cell, which, if disturbed, could adversely affect other key RPE functions such as phagocytosis, the degradation of photoreceptor outer segments, and vitamin A transport and metabolism. Our overall goal is to understand the mechanisms by which potassium (K+) channels participate in the regulation of the volume and ionic composition of the fluid in both the subretinal space and the RPE cytoplasm. Recent studies have identified in the RPE an outwardly rectifying K+ current that resembles the M-type current in neurons. The specific aims of this proposal are to: (1) determine the subunit composition of KCNQ channels that underlie the M-type conductance in the RPE; (2) determine whether the M-type conductance is localized to the apical or basolateral membrane; (3) determine whether the M-type conductance is modulated by pharmacologic agents and signaling pathways known to modulate specific types of KCNQ channels; and (4) determine the role of the M-type conductance in the regulation of RPE cell volume. These aims will be pursued using a combination of molecular, biochemical, immunohistochemical, imaging, and electrophysiological techniques to investigate M-type channel structure, function, and regulation. The outcome of these studies will result in a better understanding of how these critically important transport proteins operate in the RPE to help maintain a healthy photoreceptor microenvironment.