Mechanisms of Retinal Vascular Permeability in Diabetes

描述（由申请人提供）：糖尿病视网膜病变仍然是美国失明的主要原因。最近的临床试验表明，靶向血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）可以有效地防止视力丧失的进展，并使一些患者恢复视力。这些研究表明，视网膜的药物治疗可以有效地治疗糖尿病视网膜病变。然而，并非所有患者都对抗VEGF治疗有反应，抗VEGF治疗需要重复眼内注射，存在眼内炎的风险。除了VEGF， 在糖尿病视网膜病患者中，许多炎症因子升高，这些炎症因子被认为有助于疾病病理学，包括肿瘤坏死因子、趋化因子（C-C基序）配体2（CCL 2）、白细胞介素6和8。因此，了解生长因子和炎性细胞因子改变视网膜血管内皮导致血管通透性和血管生成的机制仍然具有重要意义。上一个资助期的研究已经确定了两个重要的信号通路，它们控制着VEGF的渗透性。第一种途径涉及传统的蛋白激酶C（PKC）激活和紧密连接蛋白occludin的磷酸化，并且是VEGF诱导的血管通透性所需的。已发表的和初步的数据也表明，occludin磷酸化有助于生长控制和血管生成。因此，血管内皮生长因子激活下游的occludin磷酸化有助于血管通透性和血管生成，表明在生长和血视网膜屏障分化中的重要作用。此外，在前一个资助期的研究已经确定了第二个信号通路，涉及非典型PKC激活，这是对VEGF和炎症细胞因子（如TNF和CCL 2）的渗透性反应所必需的。利用质谱磷酸蛋白质组学分析，我们已经确定了下游目标连接这一途径的小G蛋白的调节和控制的渗透性。在这里，我们提出了明确的作用，occludin磷酸化的渗透性和血管生成在体内，同时也阐明了aPKC激活途径的控制血管通透性。总的来说，这些研究将提供新的见解VEGF诱导的渗透性和血管生成的机制，特别是通过控制紧密连接的复合物和小G蛋白调节细胞骨架。这项研究有望为血管生长和成熟的本质提供新的见解，并确定有效对抗生长因子和炎症细胞因子的治疗干预的新靶点。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Diabetic retinopathy remains a leading cause of blindness in the United States. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated that targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can effectively prevent progression of vision loss and for some patients restore visual acuity. These studies demonstrate that medical therapy for the retina can effectively treat diabetic retinopathy. However, not all patients respond to anti-VEGF therapies, which require repeat intra-ocular injections with the risk of endophthalmitis. In addition to VEGF, a number of inflammatory factors are elevated in patients with diabetic retinopathy that are believed to contribute to disease pathology including tumor necrosis factor, the chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), interleukin 6 and 8. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which growth factors and inflammatory cytokines alter the retinal vascular endothelium leading to vascular permeability and angiogenesis remains of high significance. Research from the previous funding period has identified two important signaling pathways that control permeability in response to VEGF. The first pathway involves conventional protein kinase C (PKC) activation and phosphorylation of the tight junction protein occludin and is required for VEGF induced vascular permeability. Published and preliminary data also reveal that occludin phosphorylation contributes to growth control and angiogenesis. Thus, occludin phosphorylation downstream of VEGF activation contributes to both vascular permeability and angiogenesis suggesting an important role in growth and blood-retinal barrier differentiation. Further, research over the previous funding period has identified a second signaling pathway involving atypical PKC activation as required for permeability response to both VEGF and inflammatory cytokines such as TNF and CCL2. Utilizing mass spectrometry phosphoproteomic analysis we have identified downstream targets linking this pathway to small G-protein regulation and control of permeability. Here we propose to define the role of occludin phosphorylation in permeability and angiogenesis in vivo while also elucidating the aPKC activation pathway to the control of vascular permeability. Collectively, these studies will provide novel insight into the mechanisms of VEGF induced permeability and angiogenesis specifically through the control of the tight junctions' complex and small G-protein regulation of the cytoskeleton. This research is expected to provide new insight into the nature of blood vessel growth and maturation and identify new targets for therapeutic intervention that are effective against both growth factors and inflammatory cytokines.