@article{TarauBerlinCurcioetal.2019,
  author    = {Tarau, Ioana-Sandra and Berlin, Andreas and Curcio, Christine A. and Ach, Thomas},
  title     = {The cytoskeleton of the retinal pigment epithelium: from normal aging to age-related macular degeneration},
  series = {International Journal of Molecular Science},
  volume    = {20},
  journal   = {International Journal of Molecular Science},
  number    = {14},
  issn      = {1422-0067},
  doi       = {10.3390/ijms20143578},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201781},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a unique epithelium, with major roles which are essential in the visual cycle and homeostasis of the outer retina. The RPE is a monolayer of polygonal and pigmented cells strategically placed between the neuroretina and Bruch membrane, adjacent to the fenestrated capillaries of the choriocapillaris. It shows strong apical (towards photoreceptors) to basal/basolateral (towards Bruch membrane) polarization. Multiple functions are bound to a complex structure of highly organized and polarized intracellular components: the cytoskeleton. A strong connection between the intracellular cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix is indispensable to maintaining the function of the RPE and thus, the photoreceptors. Impairments of these intracellular structures and the regular architecture they maintain often result in a disrupted cytoskeleton, which can be found in many retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This review article will give an overview of current knowledge on the molecules and proteins involved in cytoskeleton formation in cells, including RPE and how the cytoskeleton is affected under stress conditions — especially in AMD.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PacheZimmermannMikolajczaketal.2016,
  author    = {Pache, Florence and Zimmermann, Hanna and Mikolajczak, Janine and Schumacher, Sophie and Lacheta, Anna and Oertel, Frederike C. and Bellmann-Strobl, Judith and Jarius, Sven and Wildemann, Brigitte and Reindl, Markus and Waldman, Amy and Soelberg, Kerstin and Asgari, Nasrin and Ringelstein, Marius and Aktas, Orhan and Gross, Nikolai and Buttmann, Mathias and Ach, Thomas and Ruprecht, Klemens and Paul, Friedemann and Brandt, Alexander U.},
  title     = {MOG-IgG in NMO and related disorders: a multicenter study of 50 patients. Part 4: Afferent visual system damage after optic neuritis in MOG-IgG-seropositive versus AQP4-IgG-seropositive patients},
  series = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
  number    = {282},
  doi       = {10.1186/s12974-016-0720-6},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165551},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Background Antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-IgG) have been reported in patients with aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG)-negative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). The objective of this study was to describe optic neuritis (ON)-induced neuro-axonal damage in the retina of MOG-IgG-positive patients in comparison with AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients. Methods Afferent visual system damage following ON was bilaterally assessed in 16 MOG-IgG-positive patients with a history of ON and compared with that in 16 AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients. In addition, 16 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and disease duration were analyzed. Study data included ON history, retinal optical coherence tomography, visual acuity, and visual evoked potentials. Results Eight MOG-IgG-positive patients had a previous diagnosis of AQP4-IgG-negative NMOSD with ON and myelitis, and eight of (mainly recurrent) ON. Twenty-nine of the 32 eyes of the MOG-IgG-positive patients had been affected by at least one episode of ON. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (pRNFL) and ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer volume (GCIP) were significantly reduced in ON eyes of MOG-IgG-positive patients (pRNFL = 59 ± 23 μm; GCIP = 1.50 ± 0.34 mm3) compared with healthy controls (pRNFL = 99 ± 6 μm, p < 0.001; GCIP = 1.97 ± 0.11 mm3, p < 0.001). Visual acuity was impaired in eyes after ON in MOG-IgG-positive patients (0.35 ± 0.88 logMAR). There were no significant differences in any structural or functional visual parameters between MOG-IgG-positive and AQP4-IgG-positive patients (pRNFL: 59 ± 21 μm; GCIP: 1.41 ± 0.27 mm3; Visual acuity = 0.72 ± 1.09 logMAR). Importantly, MOG-IgG-positive patients had a significantly higher annual ON relapse rate than AQP4-IgG-positive patients (median 0.69 vs. 0.29 attacks/year, p = 0.004), meaning that on average a single ON episode caused less damage in MOG-IgG-positive than in AQP4-IgG-positive patients. pRNFL and GCIP loss correlated with the number of ON episodes in MOG-IgG-positive patients (p < 0.001), but not in AQP4-IgG-positive patients. Conclusions Retinal neuro-axonal damage and visual impairment after ON in MOG-IgG-positive patients are as severe as in AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients. In MOG-IgG-positive patients, damage accrual may be driven by higher relapse rates, whereas AQP4-IgG-positive patients showed fewer but more severe episodes of ON. Given the marked damage in some of our MOG-IgG-positive patients, early diagnosis and timely initiation and close monitoring of immunosuppressive therapy are important.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LittsAchHammacketal.2016,
  author    = {Litts, Katie M. and Ach, Thomas and Hammack, Kristen M. and Sloan, Kenneth R. and Zhang, Yuhua and Freund, K. Bailey and Curcio, Christine A.},
  title     = {Quantitative Analysis of Outer Retinal Tubulation in Age-Related Macular Degeneration From Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography and Histology},
  series = {Investigative Ophthalmology \& Visual Science},
  volume    = {57},
  journal   = {Investigative Ophthalmology \& Visual Science},
  doi       = {10.1167/iovs.16-19262},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165532},
  pages     = {2647-2656},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Purpose: To assess outer retinal tubulation (ORT) morphology from spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) volumes and donor eye histology, analyze ORT reflectivity, and estimate the number of cones surviving in ORT. Methods: In SD-OCT volumes from nine patients with advanced AMD, ORT was analyzed en face and in B-scans. The hyperreflective ORT border in cross-section was delineated and surface area calculated. Reflectivity was compared between ORT types (Closed, Open, Forming, and Branching). A flatmount retina from a donor with neovascular AMD was labeled to visualize the external limiting membrane that delimits ORT and allow measurements of cross-sectional cone area, center-to-center cone spacing, and cone density. The number of cones surviving in ORT was estimated. Results: By en face SD-OCT, ORT varies in complexity and shape. Outer retinal tubulation networks almost always contain Closed cross-sections. Spectral-domain OCT volumes containing almost exclusively Closed ORTs showed no significant direction-dependent differences in hyperreflective ORT border intensity. The surface areas of partial ORT assessed by SD-OCT volumes ranged from 0.16 to 1.76 mm2. From the flatmount retina, the average cross-sectional area of cone inner segments was 49.1 ± 7.9 μm2. The average cone spacing was 7.5 ± 0.6 μm. Outer retinal tubulation cone density was 20,351 cones/mm2. The estimated number of cones in ORT in a macula ranged from 26,399 to 186,833 cones, which is 6\% to 44\% of the cones present in a healthy macula. Conclusions: These first estimates for cone density and number of cones surviving in ORT suggest that ORT formation considerably distorts the photoreceptor mosaic. Results provide additional insight into the reflectivity characteristics and number of ORT cones observable in living patients by SD-OCT, as cones persist and disease progresses.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BenAmiTongBhuiyanetal.2016,
  author    = {Ben Ami, Tal and Tong, Yuehong and Bhuiyan, Alauddin and Huisingh, Carrie and Ablonczy, Zsolt and Ach, Thomas and Curcio, Christine A. and Smith, R. Theodore},
  title     = {Spatial and Spectral Characterization of Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium Fluorophore Families by Ex Vivo Hyperspectral Autofluorescence Imaging},
  series = {Translational Vision Science \& Technology},
  volume    = {5},
  journal   = {Translational Vision Science \& Technology},
  number    = {3},
  doi       = {10.1167/tvst.5.3.5},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168328},
  pages     = {5},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Purpose: Discovery of candidate spectra for abundant fluorophore families in human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) by ex vivo hyperspectral imaging. Methods: Hyperspectral autofluorescence emission images were captured between 420 and 720 nm (10-nm intervals), at two excitation bands (436-460, 480-510 nm), from three locations (fovea, perifovea, near-periphery) in 20 normal RPE/Bruch's membrane (BrM) flatmounts. Mathematical factorization extracted a BrM spectrum (S0) and abundant lipofuscin/melanolipofuscin (LF/ML) spectra of RPE origin (S1, S2, S3) from each tissue. Results: Smooth spectra S1 to S3, with perinuclear localization consistent with LF/ML at all three retinal locations and both excitations in 14 eyes (84 datasets), were included in the analysis. The mean peak emissions of S0, S1, and S2 at λ\(_{ex}\) 436 nm were, respectively, 495 ± 14, 535 ± 17, and 576 ± 20 nm. S3 was generally trimodal, with peaks at either 580, 620, or 650 nm (peak mode, 650 nm). At λ\(_{ex}\) 480 nm, S0, S1, and S2 were red-shifted to 526 ± 9, 553 ± 10, and 588 ± 23 nm, and S3 was again trimodal (peak mode, 620 nm). S1 often split into two spectra, S1A and S1B. S3 strongly colocalized with melanin. There were no significant differences across age, sex, or retinal location. Conclusions: There appear to be at least three families of abundant RPE fluorophores that are ubiquitous across age, retinal location, and sex in this sample of healthy eyes. Further molecular characterization by imaging mass spectrometry and localization via super-resolution microscopy should elucidate normal and abnormal RPE physiology involving fluorophores. Translational Relevance: Our results help establish hyperspectral autofluorescence imaging of the human retinal pigment epithelium as a useful tool for investigating retinal health and disease.},
  language  = {en}
}