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371 Fractalkine isoforms using gene therapy differentially regulate microglia activation and vascular damage in the diabetic retina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2023

Derek Rodriguez
Affiliation:
University of Texas at San Antonio
Kaira A. Church
Affiliation:
University of Texas at San Antonio
Alicia N. Pietramale
Affiliation:
(Dartmouth College)
Sandra M. Cardona
Affiliation:
University of Texas at San Antonio
Difernando Vanegas
Affiliation:
University of Texas at San Antonio
Isabel A. Muzzio
Affiliation:
(University of Iowa)
Kevin R. Nash
Affiliation:
(University of South Florida)
Astrid E. Cardona
Affiliation:
University of Texas at San Antonio
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Abstract

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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Retinal inflammation caused by the activation of resident macrophages (microglia) during diabetes exacerbates glial cell dysfunction, resulting in neuronal loss. The goal is to use rAAV gene therapy to deliver neuronal-derived fractalkine (FKN), minimizing inflammation and vascular damage in the diabetic retina. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The human microglial receptor (CX3CR1) binds to FKN, a protein that is expressed on neuronal membranes (mFKN), and undergoes constitutive cleavage to release a soluble domain (sFKN). Deficiencies in CX3CR1 or FKN showed increased microglial activation and elevated retinal pathology. To understand the mechanism by which mFKN and sFKN regulate microglia function, recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) expressing mFKN or sFKN were delivered to intact retinas during diabetes. Markers of neuronal loss, vascular damage, and inflammation were analyzed. We hypothesize that the administration of rAAV-sFKN but not rAAV-mFKN will prevent vascular and neuronal damage, and improve visual function. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: rAAV-sFKN minimized microglial activation, blood vessel rupture, fibrinogen deposition, and prevented neuronal loss, compared to mice treated with rAAV-mFKN in a mouse model of diabetic retinopathy (DR). rAAV-sFKN treated mice showed improved visual acuity using a two-choice discrimination task through learning-based behavior. rAAV-sFKN treatment correlated with the success rate of the mice finding the reward based on their ability to distinguish visual cues. Future studies will test the effects of rAAV-sFKN and rAAV-mFKN on microglia inflammatory cytokine release, optic nerve damage and synaptic neurotransmission, peripheral immune responses, and transcriptomic changes in microglia during diabetes. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Current therapies for DR are ineffective in restoring vision. rAAVs-sFKN delivery appears to act as a neuroprotective approach in the diabetic retina. sFKN serves as an alternative pathway to implement translational and therapeutic approaches, minimizing pathology and improving visual function.

Type
Precision Medicine/Health
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. The Association for Clinical and Translational Science