Decreased miR-150 in obesity-associated type 2 diabetic mice increases intraocular inflammation and exacerbates retinal dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness among the working population in the USA. Current therapies, including anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatments, cannot completely reverse the visual defects induced by DR. MicroRNA-150 (miR-150) is a regulator that suppresses inflammation and pathological angiogenesis. In patients with diabetes, miR-150 is downregulated. As chronic inflammation is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of DR, whether diabetes-associated decrease of miR-150 is merely associated with the disease progression or decreased miR-150 causes retinal inflammation and pathological angiogenesis is still unknown. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We used high-fat diet (HFD)-induced type 2 diabetes (T2D) in wild type (WT) and miR-150 knockout (miR-150-/-) mice for this study and compared retinal function and microvasculature morphology. RESULTS: We found that WT mice fed with an HFD for only 1 month had a significant decrease of miR-150 in the blood and retina, and retinal light sensitivity also decreased. The miR-150-/- mice on the HFD developed diabetes similar to that of the WT. At 7-8 months old, miR-150-/- mice under normal diet had increased degeneration of retinal capillaries compared with WT mice, indicating that miR-150 is important in maintaining the structural integrity of retinal microvasculature. Deletion of miR-150 worsened HFD-induced retinal dysfunction as early as 1 month after the diet regimen, and it exacerbated HFD-induced T2DR by further increasing retinal inflammation and microvascular degeneration. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that decreased miR-150 caused by obesity or diabetic insults is not merely correlated to the disease progression, but it contributes to the retinal dysfunction and inflammation, as well as the development of DR.

The Effects of Metformin on Obesity-Induced Dysfunctional Retinas.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of metformin on dysfunctional retinas in obesity-induced type 2 diabetic mice. Methods: A high-fat diet (HFD)-induced diabetic mouse model (C57BL/6J) was used in this study. After 2 months of the HFD regimen, HFD mice were given daily metformin through oral gavage. Body weights, glucose tolerance, and retinal light responses were monitored regularly. Fluorescein angiography (FA) was used to assess changes in retinal vasculature. Ocular tissues (retina, vitreous, and lens) were harvested and analyzed for molecular changes as determined by immunofluorescent staining, Western blot analysis, and cytokine profiling. Results: Starting 1 month after the diet regimen, mice fed the HFD had mildly compromised retinal light responses as measured by electroretinography (ERG), which worsened over time compared to that in the control. In HFD mice treated with metformin, systemic glucose levels reverted back to normal, and their weight gain slowed. Metformin reversed HFD-induced changes in phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAKT), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK), and 5'AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK) in the retina. However, metformin treatments for 3 months did not restore the retinal light responses nor lessen the HFD-induced retinal neovascularization, even though it did reduce intraocular inflammation. Conclusions: Although metformin was able to reverse systemic changes induced by HFD, it was not able to restore HFD-caused retinal light responses or deter neovascularization.

A new functional role for mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) in the circadian regulation of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels in avian cone photoreceptors.

In the retina, the L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (L-VGCCs) are responsible for neurotransmitter release from photoreceptors and are under circadian regulation. Both the current densities and protein expression of L-VGCCs are significantly higher at night than during the day. However, the underlying mechanisms of circadian regulation of L-VGCCs in the retina are not completely understood. In this study, we demonstrated that the mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin complex (mTORC) signaling pathway participated in the circadian phase-dependent modulation of L-VGCCs. The activities of the mTOR cascade, from mTORC1 to its downstream targets, displayed circadian oscillations throughout the course of a day. Disruption of mTORC1 signaling dampened the L-VGCC current densities, as well as the protein expression of L-VGCCs at night. The decrease of L-VGCCs at night by mTORC1 inhibition was in part due to a reduction of L-VGCCα1 subunit translocation from the cytosol to the plasma membrane. Finally, we showed that mTORC1 was downstream of the phosphatidylionositol 3 kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) signaling pathway. Taken together, mTORC1 signaling played a role in the circadian regulation of L-VGCCs, in part through regulation of ion channel trafficking and translocation, which brings to light a new functional role for mTORC1: the modulation of ion channel activities.