Iron-induced fluorescence in the retina: dependence on vitamin A.

PURPOSE: Intravitreal iron injection induces fluorophore formation in the photoreceptor outer segments, followed by an accumulation of inclusions with lipofuscin-like fluorescence in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The accumulation of RPE lipofuscin during aging is dependent on vitamin A availability. Experiments were conducted to determine whether iron-induced fluorophore formation in the outer segments and in RPE is also dependent on vitamin A, and thus whether oxidation promotes the participation of vitamin A in lipofuscin formation. METHODS: For 23 weeks, beginning at weaning, albino Fischer rats were fed diets containing vitamin A either in the form of retinyl palmitate (+A), which can be metabolically converted into the retinoids involved in vision, or retinoic acid (-A), which does not support visual function. After 23 weeks, when rhodopsin levels had decreased more than 90% in the -A rats, some animals in this group were given an intramuscular injection of all-trans retinol and were allowed to recover from retinoid deficiency for 7 days (-A+A). Animals in all three treatment groups were then given an intravitreal injection of ferrous sulfate. Both 1 day and 7 days after the iron injections, the retinas and RPEs were examined for fluorophores with excitation and emission properties similar to those of RPE lipofuscin fluorophores. RESULTS: In retina sections examined with fluorescence microscopy 24 hours after the ferrous sulfate treatment, the photoreceptor outer segments of rats in all of the treatment groups displayed a fluorescence with a blue emission maximum. This outer-segment fluorescence was not present in untreated eyes. The in situ outer-segment fluorescence was correlated with the appearance of blue-emitting fluorophores in organic solvent extracts of the retinas. One week after the iron injections, the RPE cells of the +A animals became filled with inclusions that displayed a golden-yellow fluorescence emission when excited by blue light. Very little of this lipofuscin-like fluorescence was observed in the RPE of the -A rats 1 week after iron treatment. However, in the -A rats that had been repleted with vitamin A, the ability of iron to induce the RPE fluorescence was restored. Several orange-emitting fluorophores were present in organic solvent extracts of the RPE-choroids of the +A rats. The amounts of these fluorophores were not appreciably affected by the iron treatment. These orange-emitting compounds were not observed in extracts of any eyes in the -A or -A+A groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that oxidation of the photoreceptor outer-segment lipids generates blue-emitting fluorophores that are not directly involved in RPE lipofuscin fluorophore formation. The findings also indicate that retinoids are direct precursors of RPE lipofuscin fluorophores, and that oxidative stress to the retina promotes participation of vitamin A in the formation of some of the compounds responsible for RPE lipofuscin fluorescence.

Receptor demise from alteration of glycosylation site in Drosophila opsin: electrophysiology, microspectrophotometry, and electron microscopy.

In the delta Asn20 Drosophila stock, the N-linked glycosylation site of opsin in R1-6 receptors (Rh1) is absent. We used electroretinography (ERG), microspectrophotometry (MSP), and electron microscopy (EM) to quantify visual cell defects. Positive controls, w9, had wild type Rh1. MSP revealed minimal photopigment in delta Asn20 for 6 days posteclosion; w9 had near normal visual pigment. ERG sensitivity and prolonged depolarizing afterpotential (PDA) were compared for delta Asn20 and w9. Delta Asn20's R1-6 function is decreased 100-fold at eclosion and diminishes until only R7/8 functions at 11 days. What little rhodopsin is routed to the rhabdomere functions. Morphometry showed smaller R1-6 rhabdomeres in delta Asn20 for 8 days posteclosion. Rhabdomeres in w9 were normal. A negative control, ninaE(ol17), a deletion of the Rh1 gene, also has small rhabdomeres. Delta Asn20 and ninaE(ol17) lack the extreme rhabdomere elimination of ora (outer rhabdomeres absent), a nonsense mutant interrupting Rh1's coding sequence. Delta Asn20 and ora have surplus membrane while ninaE(ol17) does not. Freeze fracture reveals that delta Asn20's rhabdomeric P-face particle count is as low as for vitamin A deprivation, consistent with an opsin defect. High particle density, organized into rows, is present in adjacent plasmalemma where surplus membrane accumulates. In summary, delta Asn20 interferes with either synthesis, deployment, or maintenance of opsin.

Lysine methylation of mitochondrial ATP synthase subunit c stored in tissues of dogs with hereditary ceroid lipofuscinosis.

Certain forms of ceroid lipofuscinosis, a hereditary degenerative disease, are characterized by accumulation of large amounts of subunit c of mitochondrial ATP synthase in lysosomal storage bodies of numerous tissues. The subunit c protein appears to constitute a major fraction of the total storage body protein. In previous studies it was demonstrated that hydrolysates of total storage body protein from affected humans and sheep contain significant amounts of epsilon-N-trimethyllysine (TML). This finding suggested that one or both of the two lysine residues of subunit c might be methylated in the stored form of the protein. The normal subunit c protein from mitochondria does not appear to be methylated. Using a putative canine model for the juvenile form of ceroid lipofuscinosis, analyses were conducted to determine whether lysosomal storage of subunit c was accompanied by lysine methylation of this protein. In affected dogs, as in humans and sheep with hereditary ceroid lipofuscinosis, the storage bodies were found to contain large amounts of subunit c protein, as indicated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and partial amino acid sequence analysis. The subunit c protein partially purified from isolated storage bodies was found to contain lysine and TML in an almost equimolar ratio. Normal subunit c contains 2 lysine residues, one at position 7 and the other at position 43. Removal of the first 7 residues of the partially purified protein through sequential Edman degradation resulted in a dramatic increase in the TML to lysine ratio in the residual protein. This suggests that lysine residue 43 is methylated. Confirmation that residue 43 of the stored protein is TML was obtained by amino acid sequence analysis after cleavage of the protein with trypsin. This finding strongly suggests that specific methylation of lysine residue 43 of mitochondrial ATP synthase plays a central role in the lysosomal storage of this protein.

Iron-induced accumulation of lipofuscin-like fluorescent pigment in the retinal pigment epithelium.

PURPOSE: One of the most prominent changes that occurs in the retinal pigment epithelium during senescence is the progressive accumulation of the autofluorescent pigment lipofuscin. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the role of nonenzymatic oxidation of photoreceptor outer segments in retinal pigment epithelium lipofuscin formation. METHODS: Albino Fischer rats were given intravitreal injections of ferrous sulfate, a catalyst that promotes nonenzymatic lipid oxidation. At 2 hours, 24 hours, and 7 days after ferrous sulfate administration, the retinas were examined with fluorescence microscopy to assess the formation of fluorescent products. At these same time intervals, organic solvent extracts of the retinas and retinal pigment epithelium-choroid complexes were prepared. The extracts were analyzed with thin layer chromatography to assay for the presence of soluble fluorophores. The ultrastructural appearances of the retinas were examined at the same time points. RESULTS: At both 2 hours and 24 hours after the ferrous sulfate treatment, the photoreceptor outer segments displayed a yellow-green fluorescence emission that was not present in untreated eyes. Associated with this in situ fluorescence were a number of blue-green emitting fluorophores in organic solvent extracts that did not correspond to any of the fluorophores extracted from the retinal pigment epithelium of old animals. One week after the ferrous sulfate treatment, the photoreceptor cells had degenerated and the retinal pigment epithelium contained large amounts of an autofluorescent pigment with a golden-yellow emission typical of lipofuscin. The iron-induced fluorophores could not be extracted from this pigment into either chloroform or dichloromethane. CONCLUSIONS: The initial fluorophores that were formed as a result of nonenzymatic oxidation of outer segment components did not appear to be the same as those responsible for retinal pigment epithelium lipofuscin fluorescence. However, after the oxidized outer segments were phagocytosed by the retinal pigment epithelium, the latter cells became filled with a yellow-emitting fluorescent pigment that was similar in its fluorescence properties to lipofuscin. These observations suggest that lipofuscin fluorophores are not direct products of nonenzymatic lipid oxidation. However, some of these oxidation products may be modified after uptake by the retinal pigment epithelium to form insoluble lipofuscin fluorophores.

Fatty acids in the lipids of Drosophila heads: effects of visual mutants, carotenoid deprivation and dietary fatty acids.

Lipids of Drosophila heads were extracted and separated by high-performance thin-layer chromatography. Fatty acid compositions of major phospholipids as well as of triglycerides were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. Proportions of the major fatty acids (14:0, 16:0, 16:1, 18:0, 18:1, 18:2, 18:3) varied depending on the lipid analyzed. Docosahexaenoic acid (22:6), common in vertebrate photoreceptors and brain, and arachidonic acid (20:4), a precursor of eicosanoids, were lacking. A comparison of the fatty acid composition of the diet vs. the head suggested that Drosophila can desaturate but may not be able to elongate fatty acid carbon chains. Fatty acid analyses were carried out after the following visual system alterations: i) the transduction mutant where no receptor potential results from a deficit in phospholipase C; ii) an allele of eyes absent; iii) the mutant outer rhabdomeres absent which lacks visual pigment and rhabdomeres in the predominant type of compound eye receptor, rhabdomeres 1 through 6; and iv) carotenoid deprivation which reduces opsin and rhabdomere size. We also evaluated aging by comparing newly-emerged vs. aged wild-type flies. Alterations in fatty acid composition based on some of these manipulations were found. Based on comparisons between flies reared on media differing in C16 and C18, there is an indication that diet readily affects tissue fatty acid composition.

Phospholipids in Drosophila heads: effects of visual mutants and phototransduction manipulations.

A procedure was developed to label phospholipids in Drosophila heads by feeding radioactive phosphate (32Pi). High-performance thin-layer chromatography showed label incorporation into various phospholipids. After 24 h of feeding, major phospholipids labeled were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), 47%; phosphatidylcholine (PC), 24%; and phosphatidylinositol (PI), 12%. Drosophila heads have virtually no sphingomyelin as compared with mammalian tissues. Notable label was in ethanolamine plasmalogen, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylinositol. Less than 1% of the total label was in phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Other lipids labeled included phosphatidylserine, phosphatidic acid and some unidentified lipids. A time course (3-36 h) study revealed a gradual decrease in proportion of labeled PI, an increase in proportion of labeled PC and no obvious change in labeled PE. There were no significant differences in phospholipid labeling comparing the no receptor potential (norpA) visual mutant and wild type under light vs. dark conditions. However, overall 32P labeling was higher in the wild type fed in the light as compared to the dark and to norpA either in light or dark. This suggests that functional vision facilitates incorporation of label. Differences in phospholipid labeling were observed between young and aged flies, particularly in lysophospholipids and poly-PI, implicating phospholipase A2 function in recycling. v Manipulations such as the outer rhabdomeres absent and eyes absent mutants and carotenoid deprivation failed to yield notable differences in phospholipid labeling pattern, suggesting that phospholipids important to vision may constitute only a minor portion of the total labeled pool in the head.

Visual receptor cycle in normal and period mutant Drosophila: microspectrophotometry, electrophysiology, and ultrastructural morphometry.

Visual pigment, sensitivity, and rhabdomere size were measured throughout a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle in Drosophila. Visual pigment and sensitivity were measured during subsequent constant darkness [dark/dark (D/D)]. MSP (microspectrophotometry) and the ERG (electroretinogram) revealed a cycling of visual pigment and sensitivity, respectively. A visual pigment decrease of 40% was noted at 4 h after light onset that recovered 2-4 h later in white-eyed (otherwise wild-type, w per+) flies. The ERG sensitivity [in w per+ flies in light/dark (L/D)] decreased by 75% at 4 h after light onset, more than expected if mediated by visual pigment (MSP) changes alone. ERG sensitivity begins decreasing 8 h before light onset while decreases in visual pigment begin 2 h after light onset. These cycles continue in constant darkness (D/D), suggesting a circadian rhythm. White-eyed period (per) mutants show similar cycles of visual pigment level and sensitivity in L/D; per's alterations, if any on the D/D cycles were subtle. The cross-sectional areas of rhabdomeres in w per+ were measured using electron micrographic (EM) morphometry. Area changed little through the L/D cycle.

Carotenoid replacement therapy in Drosophila: recovery of membrane, opsin and visual pigment.

Rhabdomeres are substantially smaller and visual pigment is nearly eliminated when Drosophila are carotenoid-deprived from egg to adult. Rhabdomeres enlarge and visual pigment increases with carotenoid replacement in adults using carrot juice. We used a monoclonal antibody to the opsin in R1-6 receptors in the compound eye to further quantify opsin recovery in such carotenoid replacement therapy. Density of immunogold, specific to R1-6 (vs. R7), increases between days 1 and 3 of replacement as visual pigment and rhabdomeres recover. In summary, visual pigment, opsin and the opsin-containing organelle recover during carotenoid replacement therapy in carotenoid-deprived Drosophila.

Photoreceptor-specific efficiencies of beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein for photopigment formation deduced from receptor mutant Drosophila melanogaster.

Drosophila rearing media had only beta-carotene, zeaxanthin or lutein as precursors for photopigment chromophores. Zeaxanthin and lutein are potentially optimum sources of the 3-hydroxylated retinoids of visual and accessory photopigments. Mutants made the electroretinogram in white (w) eyes selective for compound eye photoreceptors R1-6, R7 and R8: R1-6 dominates w's electroretinogram; R7/8 generates w;ora's (ora = outer rhabdomeres absent); R8 generates w sev;- ora's (sev = sevenless). Microspectrophotometry revealed R1-6's visual pigment. In w, all 3 carotenoids yielded monotonic dose-responses for sensitivity or visual pigment. An ultraviolet sensitivity peak from R1-6's sensitizing pigment was present at high but not low doses. In w;ora, all 3 carotenoids gave similar spectra dominated by R7's high ultraviolet sensitivity. For w sev;ora, all spectra were the shape expected for R8, peaking around 510 nm. The sensitivity dose-response was at its ceiling except for low doses in w;ora and zero supplementation in w sev;ora. Hence, without R1-6, most of our dose range mediated maximal visual pigment formation. In Drosophila, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and lutein mediate the formation of all major photopigments in R1-6, R7 and R8.