Pesce Noemi Anna, Canovai Alessio, Lardner Emma, Cammalleri Maurizio, Kvanta Anders, André Helder, Dal Monte Massimo
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Eye and Vision, St. Erik Eye Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Eugeniavägen 12, 17164 Solna, Sweden.
Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Cells. 2021 Jan 17;10(1):177. doi: 10.3390/cells10010177.
During retinal development, a physiologic hypoxia stimulates endothelial cell proliferation. The hypoxic milieu warrants retina vascularization and promotes the activation of several mechanisms aimed to ensure homeostasis and energy balance of both endothelial and retinal cells. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic system that contributes to cellular adaptation to a variety of environmental changes and stresses. In association with the physiologic hypoxia, autophagy plays a crucial role during development. Autophagy expression profile was evaluated in the developing retina from birth to post-natal day 18 of rat pups, using qPCR, western blotting and immunostaining methodologies. The rat post-partum developing retina displayed increased active autophagy during the first postnatal days, correlating to the hypoxic phase. In latter stages of development, rat retinal autophagy decreases, reaching a normalization between post-natal days 14-18, when the retina is fully vascularized and mature. Collectively, the present study elaborates on the link between hypoxia and autophagy, and contributes to further elucidate the role of autophagy during retinal development.
在视网膜发育过程中，生理性缺氧会刺激内皮细胞增殖。缺氧环境保证了视网膜血管形成，并促进了多种旨在确保内皮细胞和视网膜细胞内稳态及能量平衡机制的激活。自噬是一种进化上保守的分解代谢系统，有助于细胞适应各种环境变化和应激。与生理性缺氧相关，自噬在发育过程中起关键作用。采用定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）、蛋白质免疫印迹法和免疫染色方法，对出生至出生后第18天的大鼠幼崽发育中的视网膜进行自噬表达谱评估。产后发育中的大鼠视网膜在出生后的头几天显示出自噬活性增加，这与缺氧阶段相关。在发育的后期阶段，大鼠视网膜自噬减少，在出生后第14 - 18天达到正常水平，此时视网膜已完全血管化且成熟。总的来说，本研究阐述了缺氧与自噬之间的联系，并有助于进一步阐明自噬在视网膜发育过程中的作用。
