TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bielmeier, Christina B.
A1  - Roth, Saskia
A1  - Schmitt, Sabrina I.
A1  - Boneva, Stefaniya K.
A1  - Schlecht, Anja
A1  - Vallon, Mario
A1  - Tamm, Ernst R.
A1  - Ergün, Süleyman
A1  - Neueder, Andreas
A1  - Braunger, Barbara M.
T1  - Transcriptional profiling identifies upregulation of neuroprotective pathways in retinitis pigmentosa
JF  - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
N2  - Hereditary retinal degenerations like retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are among the leading causes of blindness in younger patients. To enable in vivo investigation of cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for photoreceptor cell death and to allow testing of therapeutic strategies that could prevent retinal degeneration, animal models have been created. In this study, we deeply characterized the transcriptional profile of mice carrying the transgene rhodopsin V20G/P23H/P27L (VPP), which is a model for autosomal dominant RP. We examined the degree of photoreceptor degeneration and studied the impact of the VPP transgene-induced retinal degeneration on the transcriptome level of the retina using next generation RNA sequencing (RNASeq) analyses followed by weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). We furthermore identified cellular subpopulations responsible for some of the observed dysregulations using in situ hybridizations, immunofluorescence staining, and 3D reconstruction. Using RNASeq analysis, we identified 9256 dysregulated genes and six significantly associated gene modules in the subsequently performed WGCNA. Gene ontology enrichment showed, among others, dysregulation of genes involved in TGF-β regulated extracellular matrix organization, the (ocular) immune system/response, and cellular homeostasis. Moreover, heatmaps confirmed clustering of significantly dysregulated genes coding for components of the TGF-β, G-protein activated, and VEGF signaling pathway. 3D reconstructions of immunostained/in situ hybridized sections revealed retinal neurons and Müller cells as the major cellular population expressing representative components of these signaling pathways. The predominant effect of VPP-induced photoreceptor degeneration pointed towards induction of neuroinflammation and the upregulation of neuroprotective pathways like TGF-β, G-protein activated, and VEGF signaling. Thus, modulation of these processes and signaling pathways might represent new therapeutic options to delay the degeneration of photoreceptors in diseases like RP.
KW  - retinitis pigmentosa
KW  - VPP mouse model
KW  - in-situ hybridization
KW  - neurodegeneration
KW  - neuroinflammation
KW  - extracellular matrix disorganisation
KW  - neuroprotective pathways
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-260769
SN  - 1422-0067
VL  - 22
IS  - 12
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Göbel, Kerstin
A1  - Pankratz, Susann
A1  - Asaridou, Chloi-Magdalini
A1  - Herrmann, Alexander M.
A1  - Bittner, Stefan
A1  - Merker, Monika
A1  - Ruck, Tobias
A1  - Glumm, Sarah
A1  - Langhauser, Friederike
A1  - Kraft, Peter
A1  - Krug, Thorsten F.
A1  - Breuer, Johanna
A1  - Herold, Martin
A1  - Gross, Catharina C.
A1  - Beckmann, Denise
A1  - Korb-Pap, Adelheid
A1  - Schuhmann, Michael K.
A1  - Kuerten, Stefanie
A1  - Mitroulis, Ioannis
A1  - Ruppert, Clemens
A1  - Nolte, Marc W.
A1  - Panousis, Con
A1  - Klotz, Luisa
A1  - Kehrel, Beate
A1  - Korn, Thomas
A1  - Langer, Harald F.
A1  - Pap, Thomas
A1  - Nieswandt, Bernhard
A1  - Wiendl, Heinz
A1  - Chavakis, Triantafyllos
A1  - Kleinschnitz, Christoph
A1  - Meuth, Sven G.
T1  - Blood coagulation factor XII drives adaptive immunity during neuroinflammation via CD87-mediated modulation of dendritic cells
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Aberrant immune responses represent the underlying cause of central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Recent evidence implicated the crosstalk between coagulation and immunity in CNS autoimmunity. Here we identify coagulation factor XII (FXII), the initiator of the intrinsic coagulation cascade and the kallikrein–kinin system, as a specific immune cell modulator. High levels of FXII activity are present in the plasma of MS patients during relapse. Deficiency or pharmacologic blockade of FXII renders mice less susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (a model of MS) and is accompanied by reduced numbers of interleukin-17A-producing T cells. Immune activation by FXII is mediated by dendritic cells in a CD87-dependent manner and involves alterations in intracellular cyclic AMP formation. Our study demonstrates that a member of the plasmatic coagulation cascade is a key mediator of autoimmunity. FXII inhibition may provide a strategy to combat MS and other immune-related disorders.
KW  - blood coagulation
KW  - factor XII
KW  - neuroinflammation
KW  - dendric cells
Y1  - 2016
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165503
VL  - 7
IS  - 11626
ER  -