Choroidal endothelial and macrophage gene expression in atrophic and neovascular macular degeneration.

The human choroid is a heterogeneous, highly vascular connective tissue that dysfunctions in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 21 human choroids, 11 of which were derived from donors with early atrophic or neovascular AMD. Using this large donor cohort, we identified new gene expression signatures and immunohistochemically characterized discrete populations of resident macrophages, monocytes/inflammatory macrophages and dendritic cells. These three immune populations demonstrated unique expression patterns for AMD genetic risk factors, with dendritic cells possessing the highest expression of the neovascular AMD-associated MMP9 gene. Additionally, we performed trajectory analysis to model transcriptomic changes across the choroidal vasculature, and we identified expression signatures for endothelial cells from choroidal arterioles and venules. Finally, we performed differential expression analysis between control, early atrophic AMD, and neovascular AMD samples, and we observed that early atrophic AMD samples had high expression of SPARCL1, a gene that has been shown to increase in response to endothelial damage. Likewise, neovascular endothelial cells harbored gene expression changes consistent with endothelial cell damage and demonstrated increased expression of the sialomucins CD34 and ENCM, which were also observed at the protein level within neovascular membranes. Overall, this study characterizes the molecular features of new populations of choroidal endothelial cells and mononuclear phagocytes in a large cohort of AMD and control human donors.

Transcriptomic and Chromatin Accessibility Analysis of the Human Macular and Peripheral Retinal Pigment Epithelium at the Single-Cell Level.

Some human retinal diseases are characterized by pathology that is restricted to specific cell types and to specific regions of the eye. Several disease entities either selectively affect or spare the macula, the retina region at the center of the posterior pole. Photoreceptor cells in the macula are involved in high-acuity vision and require metabolic support from non-neuronal cell types. Some macular diseases involve the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), an epithelial cell layer with several metabolic-support functions essential for the overlying photoreceptors. In the current study, the ways in which RPE confers region-specific disease susceptibility were determined by examining heterogeneity within RPE tissue from human donors. RPE nuclei from the macular and peripheral retina were profiled using joint single-nucleus RNA and ATAC sequencing. The expression of several genes differed between macular and peripheral RPE. Region-specific ATAC peaks were found, suggesting regulatory elements used exclusively by macular or peripheral RPE. Across anatomic regions, subpopulations of RPE were identified that appeared to have differential levels of expression of visual cycle genes. Finally, loci associated with age-related macular degeneration were examined for a better understanding of RPE-specific disease phenotypes. These findings showed variations in the regulation of gene expression in the human RPE by region and subpopulation, and provide a source for a better understanding of the molecular basis of macular disease.

Human photoreceptor cells from different macular subregions have distinct transcriptional profiles.

The human neural retina is a light sensitive tissue with remarkable spatial and cellular organization. Compared with the periphery, the central retina contains more densely packed cone photoreceptor cells with unique morphologies and synaptic wiring. Some regions of the central retina exhibit selective degeneration or preservation in response to retinal disease and the basis for this variation is unknown. In this study, we used both bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing to compare gene expression within concentric regions of the central retina. We identified unique gene expression patterns of foveal cone photoreceptor cells, including many foveal-enriched transcription factors. In addition, we found that the genes RORB1, PPFIA1 and KCNAB2 are differentially spliced in the foveal, parafoveal and macular regions. These results provide a highly detailed spatial characterization of the retinal transcriptome and highlight unique molecular features of different retinal regions.

NR4A1 deletion promotes pro-angiogenic polarization of macrophages derived from classical monocytes in a mouse model of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

BACKGROUND: Neovascular age-related macular degeneration causes vision loss from destructive angiogenesis, termed choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Cx3cr1-/- mice display alterations in non-classical monocytes and microglia with increased CNV size, suggesting that non-classical monocytes may inhibit CNV formation. NR4A1 is a transcription factor that is necessary for maturation of non-classical monocytes from classical monocytes. While Nr4a1-/- mice are deficient in non-classical monocytes, results are confounded by macrophage hyper-activation. Nr4a1se2/se2 mice lack a transcriptional activator, resulting in non-classical monocyte loss without macrophage hyper-activation. MAIN BODY: We subjected Nr4a1-/- and Nr4a1se2/se2 mice to the laser-induced CNV model and performed multi-parameter flow cytometry. We found that both models lack non-classical monocytes, but only Nr4a1-/- mice displayed increased CNV area. Additionally, CD11c+ macrophages were increased in Nr4a1-/- mice. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis uncovered that CD11c+ macrophages were enriched from Nr4a1-/- mice and expressed a pro-angiogenic transcriptomic profile that was disparate from prior reports of macrophage hyper-activation. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that non-classical monocytes are dispensable during CNV, and NR4A1 deficiency results in increased recruitment of pro-angiogenic macrophages.

Automating iPSC generation to enable autologous photoreceptor cell replacement therapy.

BACKGROUND: Inherited retinal degeneration is a leading cause of incurable vision loss in the developed world. While autologous iPSC mediated photoreceptor cell replacement is theoretically possible, the lack of commercially available technologies designed to enable high throughput parallel production of patient specific therapeutics has hindered clinical translation. METHODS: In this study, we describe the use of the Cell X precision robotic cell culture platform to enable parallel production of clinical grade patient specific iPSCs. The Cell X is housed within an ISO Class 5 cGMP compliant closed aseptic isolator (Biospherix XVivo X2), where all procedures from fibroblast culture to iPSC generation, clonal expansion and retinal differentiation were performed. RESULTS: Patient iPSCs generated using the Cell X platform were determined to be pluripotent via score card analysis and genetically stable via karyotyping. As determined via immunostaining and confocal microscopy, iPSCs generated using the Cell X platform gave rise to retinal organoids that were indistinguishable from organoids derived from manually generated iPSCs. In addition, at 120 days post-differentiation, single-cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed that cells generated using the Cell X platform were comparable to those generated under manual conditions in a separate laboratory. CONCLUSION: We have successfully developed a robotic iPSC generation platform and standard operating procedures for production of high-quality photoreceptor precursor cells that are compatible with current good manufacturing practices. This system will enable clinical grade production of iPSCs for autologous retinal cell replacement.

Local factor H production by human choroidal endothelial cells mitigates complement deposition: implications for macular degeneration.

Activation of the alternative complement pathway is an initiating event in the pathology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Unchecked complement activation leads to the formation of a pro-lytic pore, the membrane attack complex (MAC). MAC deposition is observed on the choriocapillaris of AMD patients and likely causes lysis of choroidal endothelial cells (CECs). Complement factor H (FH, encoded by the gene CFH) is an inhibitor of complement. Both loss of function of FH and reduced choroidal levels of FH have been reported in AMD. It is plausible that reduced local FH availability promotes MAC deposition on CECs. FH is produced primarily in the liver; however, cells including the retinal pigment epithelium can produce FH locally. We hypothesized that CECs produce FH locally to protect against MAC deposition. We aimed to investigate the effect of reduced FH levels in the choroid to determine whether increasing local FH could protect CECs from MAC deposition. We demonstrated that siRNA knockdown of FH (CFH) in human immortalized CECs results in increased MAC deposition. We generated AMD iPSC-derived CECs and found that overexpression of FH protects against MAC deposition. These results suggest that local CEC-produced FH protects against MAC deposition, and that increasing local FH protein may be beneficial in limiting MAC deposition in AMD. © 2022 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Systems genomics in age-related macular degeneration.

Genomic studies in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have identified genetic variants that account for the majority of AMD risk. An important next step is to understand the functional consequences and downstream effects of the identified AMD-associated genetic variants. Instrumental for this next step are 'omics' technologies, which enable high-throughput characterization and quantification of biological molecules, and subsequent integration of genomics with these omics datasets, a field referred to as systems genomics. Single cell sequencing studies of the retina and choroid demonstrated that the majority of candidate AMD genes identified through genomic studies are expressed in non-neuronal cells, such as the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), glia, myeloid and choroidal cells, highlighting that many different retinal and choroidal cell types contribute to the pathogenesis of AMD. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) studies in retinal tissue have identified putative causal genes by demonstrating a genetic overlap between gene regulation and AMD risk. Linking genetic data to complement measurements in the systemic circulation has aided in understanding the effect of AMD-associated genetic variants in the complement system, and supports that protein QTL (pQTL) studies in plasma or serum samples may aid in understanding the effect of genetic variants and pinpointing causal genes in AMD. A recent epigenomic study fine-mapped AMD causal variants by determing regulatory regions in RPE cells differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-RPE). Another approach that is being employed to pinpoint causal AMD genes is to produce synthetic DNA assemblons representing risk and protective haplotypes, which are then delivered to cellular or animal model systems. Pinpointing causal genes and understanding disease mechanisms is crucial for the next step towards clinical translation. Clinical trials targeting proteins encoded by the AMD-associated genomic loci C3, CFB, CFI, CFH, and ARMS2/HTRA1 are currently ongoing, and a phase III clinical trial for C3 inhibition recently showed a modest reduction of lesion growth in geographic atrophy. The EYERISK consortium recently developed a genetic test for AMD that allows genotyping of common and rare variants in AMD-associated genes. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) were applied to quantify AMD genetic risk, and may aid in predicting AMD progression. In conclusion, genomic studies represent a turning point in our exploration of AMD. The results of those studies now serve as a driving force for several clinical trials. Expanding to omics and systems genomics will further decipher function and causality from the associations that have been reported, and will enable the development of therapies that will lessen the burden of AMD.

Single-cell transcriptomics of the human retinal pigment epithelium and choroid in health and macular degeneration.

The human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid are complex tissues that provide crucial support to the retina. Disease affecting either of these supportive tissues can lead to irreversible blindness in the setting of age-related macular degeneration. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on macular and peripheral regions of RPE-choroid from 7 human donor eyes in 2 independent experiments. In the first experiment, total RPE/choroid preparations were evaluated and expression profiles specific to RPE and major choroidal cell populations were identified. As choroidal endothelial cells represent a minority of the total RPE/choroidal cell population but are strongly implicated in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) pathogenesis, a second single-cell RNA-sequencing experiment was performed using endothelial cells enriched by magnetic separation. In this second study, we identified gene expression signatures along the choroidal vascular tree, classifying the transcriptome of human choriocapillaris, arterial, and venous endothelial cells. We found that the choriocapillaris highly and specifically expresses the regulator of cell cycle gene (RGCC), a gene that responds to complement activation and induces apoptosis in endothelial cells. In addition, RGCC was the most up-regulated choriocapillaris gene in a donor diagnosed with AMD. These results provide a characterization of the human RPE and choriocapillaris transcriptome, offering potential insight into the mechanisms of choriocapillaris response to complement injury and choroidal vascular disease in age-related macular degeneration.

Bulk and single-cell gene expression analyses reveal aging human choriocapillaris has pro-inflammatory phenotype.

The human choroidal vasculature is subject to age-related structural and gene expression changes implicated in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In this study, we performed both bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing on infant (n = 4 for bulk experiments, n = 2 for single-cell experiments) and adult (n = 13 for bulk experiments, n = 6 for single-cell experiments) human donors to characterize how choroidal gene expression changes with age. Differential expression analysis revealed that aged choroidal samples were enriched in genes encoding pro-inflammatory transcription factors and leukocyte transendothelial cell migration adhesion proteins. Such genes were observed to be differentially expressed specifically within choroidal endothelial cells at the single-cell level. Immunohistochemistry experiments support transcriptional findings that CD34 is elevated in infant choriocapillaris endothelial cells while ICAM-1 is enriched in adults. These results suggest several potential drivers of the pro-inflammatory vascular phenotype observed with advancing age.

Label-free microfluidic enrichment of photoreceptor cells.

Inherited retinal degenerative disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and Usher syndrome are characterized by progressive death of photoreceptor cells. To restore vision to patients blinded by these diseases, a stem cell-based photoreceptor cell replacement strategy will likely be required. Although retinal stem cell differentiation protocols suitable for generating photoreceptor cells exist, they often yield a rather heterogenous mixture of cell types. To enrich the donor cell population for one or a few cell types, scientists have traditionally relied upon the use of antibody-based selection approaches. However, these strategies are quite labor intensive and require animal derived reagents and equipment that are not well suited to current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a microfluidic cell sorting device capable of exploiting the physical and mechanical differences between retinal cell types to enrich specific donor cell populations such as Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells and photoreceptor cells. Using this device, we were able to separate a mixture of RPE and iPSC-derived photoreceptor precursor cell lines into two substantially enriched fractions. The enrichment factor of the RPE fraction was 2 and that of the photoreceptor precursor cell fraction was 2.7. Similarly, when human retina, obtained from 3 independent donors, was dissociated and passed through the sorting device, the heterogeneous mixture could be reliably sorted into RPE and photoreceptor cell rich fractions. In summary, microfluidic cell sorting is a promising approach for antibody free enrichment of retinal cell populations.

Spectacle: An interactive resource for ocular single-cell RNA sequencing data analysis.

Single-cell RNA sequencing has revolutionized ocular gene expression studies. This technology has enabled researchers to identify expression signatures for rare cell types and characterize how gene expression changes across biological conditions, such as topographic region or disease status. However, sharing single-cell RNA sequencing results remains a major obstacle, particular for individuals without a computational background. To address these limitations, we developed Spectacle, an interactive web-based resource for exploring previously published single-cell RNA sequencing data from ocular studies. Spectacle is powered by a locally developed R package, cellcuratoR, which utilizes the Shiny framework in R to generate interactive visualizations for single-cell expression data. Spectacle contains five pre-processed ocular single-cell RNA sequencing data sets and is accessible via the web at OcularGeneExpression.org/singlecell. With Spectacle, users can interactively identify which cell types express a gene of interest, detect transcriptomic subpopulations within a cell type, and perform highly flexible differential expression analyses. The freely-available Spectacle system reduces the bioinformatic barrier for interacting with rich single-cell RNA sequencing studies from ocular tissues, making it easy to quickly identify cell types that express a gene of interest.

A simplified transposon mutagenesis method to perform phenotypic forward genetic screens in cultured cells.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of genome-wide shRNA and CRISPR libraries has facilitated cell-based screens to identify loss-of-function mutations associated with a phenotype of interest. Approaches to perform analogous gain-of-function screens are less common, although some reports have utilized arrayed viral expression libraries or the CRISPR activation system. However, a variety of technical and logistical challenges make these approaches difficult for many labs to execute. In addition, genome-wide shRNA or CRISPR libraries typically contain of hundreds of thousands of individual engineered elements, and the associated complexity creates issues with replication and reproducibility for these methods. RESULTS: Here we describe a simple, reproducible approach using the SB transposon system to perform phenotypic cell-based genetic screens. This approach employs only three plasmids to perform unbiased, whole-genome transposon mutagenesis. We also describe a ligation-mediated PCR method that can be used in conjunction with the included software tools to map raw sequence data, identify candidate genes associated with phenotypes of interest, and predict the impact of recurrent transposon insertions on candidate gene function. Finally, we demonstrate the high reproducibility of our approach by having three individuals perform independent replicates of a mutagenesis screen to identify drivers of vemurafenib resistance in cultured melanoma cells. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our work establishes a facile, adaptable method that can be performed by labs of any size to perform robust, genome-wide screens to identify genes that influence phenotypes of interest.

Phenotype in combination with genotype improves outcome prediction in acute myeloid leukemia: a report from Children's Oncology Group protocol AAML0531.

Diagnostic biomarkers can be used to determine relapse risk in acute myeloid leukemia, and certain genetic aberrancies have prognostic relevance. A diagnostic immunophenotypic expression profile, which quantifies the amounts of distinct gene products, not just their presence or absence, was established in order to improve outcome prediction for patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The immunophenotypic expression profile, which defines each patient's leukemia as a location in 15-dimensional space, was generated for 769 patients enrolled in the Children's Oncology Group AAML0531 protocol. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering grouped patients with similar immunophenotypic expression profiles into eleven patient cohorts, demonstrating high associations among phenotype, genotype, morphology, and outcome. Of 95 patients with inv(16), 79% segregated in Cluster A. Of 109 patients with t(8;21), 92% segregated in Clusters A and B. Of 152 patients with 11q23 alterations, 78% segregated in Clusters D, E, F, G, or H. For both inv(16) and 11q23 abnormalities, differential phenotypic expression identified patient groups with different survival characteristics (P<0.05). Clinical outcome analysis revealed that Cluster B (predominantly t(8;21)) was associated with favorable outcome (P<0.001) and Clusters E, G, H, and K were associated with adverse outcomes (P<0.05). Multivariable regression analysis revealed that Clusters E, G, H, and K were independently associated with worse survival (P range <0.001 to 0.008). The Children's Oncology Group AAML0531 trial: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: 00372593.

Consistent quantitative gene product expression: #1. Automated identification of regenerating bone marrow cell populations using support vector machines.

Identification and quantification of maturing hematopoietic cell populations in flow cytometry data sets is a complex and sometimes irreproducible step in data analysis. Supervised machine learning algorithms present promise to automatically classify cells into populations, reducing subjective bias in data analysis. We describe the use of support vector machines (SVMs), a supervised algorithm, to reproducibly identify two distinctly different populations of normal hematopoietic cells, mature lymphocytes and uncommitted progenitor cells, in the challenging setting of pediatric bone marrow specimens obtained 1 month after chemotherapy. Four-color flow cytometry data were collected on a FACS Calibur for 77 randomly selected postchemotherapy pediatric patients enrolled on the Children's Oncology Group clinical trial AAML1031. These patients demonstrated no evidence of detectable residual disease and were divided into training (n = 27) and testing (n = 50) cohorts. SVMs were trained to identify mature lymphocytes and uncommitted progenitor cells in the training cohort before independent evaluation of prediction efficiency in the testing cohort. Both SVMs demonstrated high predictive performance (lymphocyte SVM: sensitivity >0.99, specificity >0.99; uncommitted progenitor cell SVM: sensitivity = 0.94, specificity >0.99) and closely mirrored manual cell classifications by two expert-analysts. SVMs present an efficient, automated methodology for identifying normal cell populations even in stressed bone marrows, replicating the performance of an expert while reducing the intrinsic bias of gating procedures between multiple analysts. © 2016 The Authors. Cytometry Part A published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of ISAC.

Consistent quantitative gene product expression: #2. Antigen intensities on bone marrow cells are invariant between individuals.

Five reference populations in bone marrow specimens were identified by flow cytometry using specific combinations of reagents in order define the variation of gene product expression intensities both within and between individuals. Mature lymphocytes, uncommitted progenitor cells, promyelocytes, mature monocytes and mature neutrophils can be reproducibly identified as distinct clusters of events in heterogeneous, maturing bone marrow specimens. Support Vector Machines were used to identify the reference populations in order to reduce subjective bias in manually defining boundaries of these populations since they were not discretely separated from the remainder of the cells. Reference populations were identified in 50 randomly selected bone marrow aspirates obtained over a period spanning 3 years and 6 months from pediatric patients following chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The quantitative expression of gene products (cell surface antigens) and light scattering characteristics on these stressed specimens were demonstrated to be tightly regulated both within individuals and between individuals. Within an individual most gene products (CD45, CD34, CD14, CD16, CD64, CD33) demonstrated limited variability with a standard deviation of <0.20 log units while CD13 and CD36 exhibited broader variation >0.25 log units. Surprisingly, with the exception of CD33, the variation of the mean intensities of each antigen between individuals was even less than the variation within an individual. These data confirm that the amounts of gene products expressed on normal developing cells are highly regulated but differ in intensities between different lineages and during the maturational pathway of those lineages. The amounts of gene products expressed at specific stages of development of each lineage are a biologic constant with minimal variation within or between individuals. © 2016 The Authors. Cytometry Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of ISAC.

Consistent quantitative gene product expression: #3. Invariance with age.

The quantitative expression of cell surface antigens and light scattering properties of five cellular reference populations in stressed bone marrow specimens were compared between pediatric and adult patients treated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The mean intensity of each antigen as well as the within patient and between patient variability showed striking consistency between the two different age groups. The only difference between the groups of specimens was the proportion of progenitor cells in the adult cohort averaged less than three times the proportion in the pediatric cohort. These data show that the amounts of gene products expressed on bone marrow cells are invariant with age. © 2016 The Authors. Cytometry Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of ISAC.

Retinal perivascular macrophages regulate immune cell infiltration during neuroinflammation in mouse models of ocular disease.

The blood-retina barrier (BRB), which is disrupted in diabetic retinopathy (DR) and uveitis, is an important anatomical characteristic of the retina, regulating nutrient, waste, water, protein, and immune cell flux. The BRB is composed of endothelial cell tight junctions, pericytes, astrocyte end feet, a collagen basement membrane, and perivascular macrophages. Despite the importance of the BRB, retinal perivascular macrophage function remains unknown. We found that retinal perivascular macrophages resided on postcapillary venules in the superficial vascular plexus and expressed MHC class II. Using single-cell RNA-Seq, we found that perivascular macrophages expressed a prochemotactic transcriptome and identified platelet factor 4 (Pf4, also known as CXCL4) as a perivascular macrophage marker. We used Pf4Cre mice to specifically deplete perivascular macrophages. To model retinal inflammation, we performed intraocular CCL2 injections. Ly6C+ monocytes crossed the BRB proximal to perivascular macrophages. Depletion of perivascular macrophages severely hampered Ly6C+ monocyte infiltration. These data suggest that retinal perivascular macrophages orchestrate immune cell migration across the BRB, with implications for inflammatory ocular diseases including DR and uveitis.

NR2E3 loss disrupts photoreceptor cell maturation and fate in human organoid models of retinal development.

While dysfunction and death of light-detecting photoreceptor cells underlie most inherited retinal dystrophies, knowledge of the species-specific details of human rod and cone photoreceptor cell development remains limited. Here, we generated retinal organoids carrying retinal disease-causing variants in NR2E3, as well as isogenic and unrelated controls. Organoids were sampled using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) across the developmental window encompassing photoreceptor specification, emergence, and maturation. Using scRNA-Seq data, we reconstruct the rod photoreceptor developmental lineage and identify a branch point unique to the disease state. We show that the rod-specific transcription factor NR2E3 is required for the proper expression of genes involved in phototransduction, including rhodopsin, which is absent in divergent rods. NR2E3-null rods additionally misexpress several cone-specific phototransduction genes. Using joint multimodal single-cell sequencing, we further identify putative regulatory sites where rod-specific factors act to steer photoreceptor cell development. Finally, we show that rod-committed photoreceptor cells form and persist throughout life in a patient with NR2E3-associated disease. Importantly, these findings are strikingly different from those observed in Nr2e3 rodent models. Together, these data provide a road map of human photoreceptor development and leverage patient induced pluripotent stem cells to define the specific roles of rod transcription factors in photoreceptor cell emergence and maturation in health and disease.

GENE EXPRESSION WITHIN A HUMAN CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULAR MEMBRANE USING SPATIAL TRANSCRIPTOMICS.

Macular neovascularization is a relatively common and potentially visually devastating complication of age-related macular degeneration. In macular neovascularization, pathologic angiogenesis can originate from either the choroid or the retina, but we have limited understanding of how different cell types become dysregulated in this dynamic process. In this study, we performed spatial RNA sequencing on a human donor eye with macular neovascularization as well as a healthy control donor. We identified genes enriched within the area of macular neovascularization and used deconvolution algorithms to predict the originating cell type of these dysregulated genes. Within the area of neovascularization, endothelial cells were predicted to increase expression of genes related to Rho family GTPase signaling and integrin signaling. Likewise, VEGF and TGFB1 were identified as potential upstream regulators that could drive the observed gene expression changes produced by endothelial and retinal pigment epithelium cells in the macular neovascularization donor. These spatial gene expression profiles were compared to previous single-cell gene expression experiments in human age-related macular degeneration as well as a model of laser-induced neovascularization in mice. As a secondary aim, we also investigated spatial gene expression patterns within the macular neural retina and between the macular and peripheral choroid. We recapitulated previously described regional-specific gene expression patterns across both tissues. Overall, this study spatially analyzes gene expression across the retina, retinal pigment epithelium, and choroid in health and describes a set of candidate molecules that become dysregulated in macular neovascularization.

Gene Expression Within a Human Choroidal Neovascular Membrane Using Spatial Transcriptomics.

Purpose: Macular neovascularization is a relatively common and potentially visually devastating complication of age-related macular degeneration. In macular neovascularization, pathologic angiogenesis can originate from either the choroid or the retina, but we have limited understanding of how different cell types become dysregulated in this dynamic process. Methods: To study how gene expression is altered in focal areas of pathology, we performed spatial RNA sequencing on a human donor eye with macular neovascularization as well as a healthy control donor. We performed differential expression to identify genes enriched within the area of macular neovascularization and used deconvolution algorithms to predict the originating cell type of these dysregulated genes. Results: Within the area of neovascularization, endothelial cells demonstrated increased expression of genes related to Rho family GTPase signaling and integrin signaling. Likewise, VEGF and TGFB1 were identified as potential upstream regulators that could drive the observed gene expression changes produced by endothelial and retinal pigment epithelium cells in the macular neovascularization donor. These spatial gene expression profiles were compared to previous single-cell gene expression experiments in human age-related macular degeneration as well as a model of laser-induced neovascularization in mice. As a secondary aim, we investigated regional gene expression patterns within the macular neural retina and between the macular and peripheral choroid. Conclusions: Overall, this study spatially analyzes gene expression across the retina, retinal pigment epithelium, and choroid in health and describes a set of candidate molecules that become dysregulated in macular neovascularization.