Participation of L-Lactate and Its Receptor HCAR1/GPR81 in Neurovisual Development.

During the development of the retina and the nervous system, high levels of energy are required by the axons of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to grow towards their brain targets. This energy demand leads to an increase of glycolysis and L-lactate concentrations in the retina. L-lactate is known to be the endogenous ligand of the GPR81 receptor. However, the role of L-lactate and its receptor in the development of the nervous system has not been studied in depth. In the present study, we used immunohistochemistry to show that GPR81 is localized in different retinal layers during development, but is predominantly expressed in the RGC of the adult rodent. Treatment of retinal explants with L-lactate or the exogenous GPR81 agonist 3,5-DHBA altered RGC growth cone (GC) morphology (increasing in size and number of filopodia) and promoted RGC axon growth. These GPR81-mediated modifications of GC morphology and axon growth were mediated by protein kinases A and C, but were absent in explants from gpr81-/- transgenic mice. Living gpr81-/- mice showed a decrease in ipsilateral projections of RGCs to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN). In conclusion, present results suggest that L-lactate and its receptor GPR81 play an important role in the development of the visual nervous system.

Receptors of intermediates of carbohydrate metabolism, GPR91 and GPR99, mediate axon growth.

During the development of the visual system, high levels of energy are expended propelling axons from the retina to the brain. However, the role of intermediates of carbohydrate metabolism in the development of the visual system has been overlooked. Here, we report that the carbohydrate metabolites succinate and α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) and their respective receptor-GPR91 and GPR99-are involved in modulating retinal ganglion cell (RGC) projections toward the thalamus during visual system development. Using ex vivo and in vivo approaches, combined with pharmacological and genetic analyses, we revealed that GPR91 and GPR99 are expressed on axons of developing RGCs and have complementary roles during RGC axon growth in an extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2)-dependent manner. However, they have no effects on axon guidance. These findings suggest an important role for these receptors during the establishment of the visual system and provide a foundational link between carbohydrate metabolism and axon growth.

Understanding retinopathy of prematurity: update on pathogenesis.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an ocular disease characterized by the onset of vascular abnormalities in the developing retina, is the major cause of visual impairment and blindness in premature neonates. ROP is a complex condition in which various factors participate at different stages of the disease leading to microvascular degeneration followed by neovascularization, which in turn predisposes to retinal detachment. Current ablative therapies (cryotherapy and laser photocoagulation) used in the clinic for the treatment of ROP have limitations and patients can still have long-term effects even after successful treatment. New treatment modalities are still emerging. The most promising are the therapies directed against VEGF; more recently the use of preventive dietary supplementation with ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid may also be promising. Other than pharmacologic and nutritional approaches, cell-based strategies for vascular repair are likely to arise from advances in regenerative medicine using stem cells. In addition to all of these, a greater understanding of other factors involved in regulating pathologic retinal angiogenesis continues to emerge, suggesting potential targets for therapeutic approaches. This review summarizes an update on the current state of knowledge on ROP from our and other laboratories, with particular focus on the role of nitro-oxidative stress and notably trans-arachidonic acids in microvascular degeneration, semaphorin 3 operating as vasorepulsive molecules in the avascular hypoxic retina and in turn impairing revascularization, succinate and its receptor GPR91 in neuron-mediated retinal neovascularization, and ω-3 lipids as modulators of preretinal neovascularization.

Agonist-independent nuclear localization of the Apelin, angiotensin AT1, and bradykinin B2 receptors.

Signaling of the apelin, angiotensin, and bradykinin peptides is mediated by G protein-coupled receptors related through structure and similarities of physiological function. We report nuclear expression as a characteristic of these receptors, including a nuclear localization for the apelin receptor in brain and cerebellum-derived D283 Med cells and the AT(1) and bradykinin B(2) receptors in HEK-293T cells. Immunocytochemical analyses revealed the apelin receptor with localization in neuronal nuclei in cerebellum and hypothalamus, exhibiting expression in neuronal cytoplasm or in both nuclei and cytoplasm. Confocal microscopy of HEK-293T cells revealed the majority of transfected cells displayed constitutive nuclear localization of AT(1) and B(2) receptors, whereas apelin receptors did not show nuclear localization in these cells. The majority of apelin receptor-transfected cerebellum D283 Med cells showed receptor nuclear expression. Immunoblot analyses of subcellular-fractionated D283 Med cells demonstrated endogenous apelin receptor species in nuclear fractions. In addition, an identified nuclear localization signal motif in the third intracellular loop of the apelin receptor was disrupted by a substituted glutamine in place of lysine. This apelin receptor (K242Q) did not exhibit nuclear localization in D283 Med cells. These results demonstrate the following: (i) the apelin receptor exhibits nuclear localization in human brain; (ii) distinct cell-dependent mechanisms for the nuclear transport of apelin, AT(1), and B(2) receptors; and (iii) the disruption of a nuclear localization signal sequence disrupts the nuclear translocation of the apelin receptor. This discovery of apelin, AT(1), and B(2) receptors with agonist-independent nuclear translocation suggests major unanticipated roles for these receptors in cell signaling and function.

Modulation of pro-inflammatory gene expression by nuclear lysophosphatidic acid receptor type-1.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive molecule involved in inflammation, immunity, wound healing, and neoplasia. Its pleiotropic actions arise presumably by interaction with their cell surface G protein-coupled receptors. Herein, the presence of the specific nuclear lysophosphatidic acid receptor-1 (LPA1R) was revealed in unstimulated porcine cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (pCMVECs), LPA1R stably transfected HTC4 rat hepatoma cells, and rat liver tissue using complementary approaches, including radioligand binding experiments, electron- and cryomicroscopy, cell fractionation, and immunoblotting with three distinct antibodies. Coimmunoprecipitation studies in enriched plasmalemmal fractions of unstimulated pCMVEC showed that LPA1Rs are dually sequestrated in caveolin-1 and clathrin subcompartments, whereas in nuclear fractions LPA1R appeared primarily in caveolae. Immunofluorescent assays using a cell-free isolated nuclear system confirmed LPA1R and caveolin-1 co-localization. In pCMVEC, LPA-stimulated increases in cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric-oxide synthase RNA and protein expression were insensitive to caveolea-disrupting agents but sensitive to LPA-generating phospholipase A2 enzyme and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Moreover, LPA-induced increases in Ca2+ transients and/or iNOS expression in highly purified rat liver nuclei were prevented by pertussis toxin, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt inhibitor wortmannin and Ca2+ chelator and channel blockers EGTA and SK&F96365, respectively. This study describes for the first time the nucleus as a potential organelle for LPA intracrine signaling in the regulation of pro-inflammatory gene expression.

Effect of an organized lipid matrix on lipid absorption and clinical outcomes in patients with cystic fibrosis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the absorption of a lysophosphatidylcholine, monoglyceride, and fatty acid matrix (organized lipid matrix, OLM) with that of a triacylglycerol (TG)-based fat meal in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). STUDY DESIGN: Five adolescents with CF and 3 control patients were given fat meals supplemented with retinyl palmitate of either OLM or TG at a 2-week interval. In a clinical trial, 73 patients with CF were randomly assigned to nutritional supplements containing either OLM or TG for a 1-year double-blind trial followed by a 6-month observation period. RESULTS: The peak increases and areas under the curve for TG and retinyl palmitate after the fat meal were 10-fold higher after OLM than after the TG fat load and did not differ from values obtained in control patients. OLM led to better clinical outcomes in terms of energy intake from the diet, weight-for-age Z score, essential fatty acid status, vitamin E, and retinol binding protein. Height-for-age Z score and FEV(1) only reached statistical significance at the end of the 6-month observation period. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that OLM is a readily absorbable source of fat and energy in CF and is an effective nutritional supplement.