Bora Kiran, Liu Chi-Hsiu, Kushwah Neetu, Maurya Meenakshi, Pavlovich Madeline C, Solt Laura A, Sun Ye, Fu Zhongjie, Akula James D, Chen Jing
Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, Jupiter, Florida, United States.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025 Aug 1;66(11):20. doi: 10.1167/iovs.66.11.20.
Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor alpha (RORα) is a ligand-dependent nuclear receptor involved in eye development and diseases. Genetic variations of RORα have been linked with the development of age-related macular degeneration, yet whether RORα regulates visual function is unknown. In this study we investigated the role of RORα in regulating visual function in mice with genetic deficiency of RORα.
RORα deficient staggerer (Rorasg/sg) and age-matched wild type control mice were assessed for visual function using electroretinography (ERG). Retinal localization of RORα and rod bipolar cell morphology were assessed using immunohistochemistry. Retinal thickness was measured as well as presence of retinal gliosis, and expression of genes in visual transduction.
RORα is expressed in photoreceptors, retinal ganglion cells, and bipolar cells. Genetic deletion of RORα in Rorasg/sg mice markedly impaired visual function measured by ERG, with substantial attenuation of b-wave amplitude compared with wild type controls, reflective of bipolar cell dysfunction. Rorasg/sg eyes showed significant degeneration of rod bipolar cells and retinal gliosis, both of which progressed upon aging. Moreover, loss of ROR⍺ also resulted in significant retinal thinning, including both outer and inner nuclear layers. Expression of genes involved in phototransduction and rod bipolar cell depolarization was upregulated in Rorasg/sg retinas, suggestive of potential compensatory remodeling of visual signaling.
Our findings demonstrate that RORα is indispensable for the structural and functional maintenance of rod bipolar cells and could pose as a potential therapeutic target for mitigating bipolar cell deficits in retinal degenerative diseases.
维甲酸受体相关孤儿受体α(RORα)是一种参与眼睛发育和疾病的配体依赖性核受体。RORα的基因变异与年龄相关性黄斑变性的发生有关,但RORα是否调节视觉功能尚不清楚。在本研究中,我们研究了RORα基因缺陷小鼠中RORα在调节视觉功能中的作用。
使用视网膜电图(ERG)评估RORα缺陷的蹒跚小鼠(Rorasg/sg)和年龄匹配的野生型对照小鼠的视觉功能。使用免疫组织化学评估RORα的视网膜定位和视杆双极细胞形态。测量视网膜厚度以及视网膜胶质增生的存在情况,以及视觉转导中基因的表达。
RORα在光感受器、视网膜神经节细胞和双极细胞中表达。Rorasg/sg小鼠中RORα的基因缺失显著损害了通过ERG测量的视觉功能,与野生型对照相比,b波振幅大幅衰减,这反映了双极细胞功能障碍。Rorasg/sg小鼠的眼睛显示视杆双极细胞明显退化和视网膜胶质增生,两者都随着年龄的增长而进展。此外,RORα的缺失还导致视网膜显著变薄,包括外核层和内核层。参与光转导和视杆双极细胞去极化的基因在Rorasg/sg视网膜中的表达上调,提示视觉信号可能存在代偿性重塑。
我们的研究结果表明,RORα对于视杆双极细胞的结构和功能维持是不可或缺的,并且可能成为减轻视网膜退行性疾病中双极细胞缺陷的潜在治疗靶点。