GD3 synthase deletion alters retinal structure and impairs visual function in mice
| Autor: | Ronaldo Mohana-Borges, Juliana Ferreira Vasques, Fernanda Gubert, Rafael Lani-Louzada, Rosalia Mendez-Otero, Carla Andreia Abreu, Marcelo F. Santiago, Almir Jordão da Silva-Junior, Leandro Coelho Teixeira-Pinheiro, Gabriel Nascimento-dos-Santos, Eduardo de Souza Matos, Pedro M. Pimentel-Coelho |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Male
0301 basic medicine Mice 129 Strain genetic structures Visual Acuity Biochemistry Retina Contrast Sensitivity Mice 03 medical and health sciences Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience 0302 clinical medicine Electroretinography medicine Animals Mice Knockout Ganglioside medicine.diagnostic_test Chemistry Sialyltransferases eye diseases Cell biology 030104 developmental biology medicine.anatomical_structure Retinal ganglion cell Knockout mouse Optomotor response Optic nerve Female sense organs Erg Gene Deletion Photic Stimulation 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Neurochemistry. 158:694-709 |
| ISSN: | 1471-4159 0022-3042 |
| Popis: | Gangliosides are glycosphingolipids abundantly expressed in the vertebrate nervous system, and are classified in a-, b-, or c- series according to the number of sialic-acid residues. The enzyme GD3 synthase converts GM3 (an a- series ganglioside) to GD3, a b- series ganglioside highly expressed in the developing and adult retina. The present study evaluated the visual system of GD3 synthase knockout mice (GD3s-/- ), morphologically and functionally. The absence of b- series gangliosides in the retinas of knockout animals was confirmed by mass spectrometry imaging, which also indicated an accumulation of a-series gangliosides, such as GM3. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) density was significantly reduced in GD3s-/- mice, with a similar reduction in the number of axons in the optic nerve. Knockout animals also showed a 15% reduction in the number of photoreceptor nuclei, but no difference in the bipolar cells. The area occupied by GFAP-positive glial cells was smaller in GD3s-/- retinas, but the number of microglial cells/macrophages did not change. In addition to the morphological alterations, a 30% reduction in light responsiveness was detected through quantification of pS6-expressing RGC, an indicator of neural activity. Furthermore, electroretinography (ERG) indicated a significant reduction in RGC and photoreceptor electrical activity in GD3s-/- mice, as indicated by scotopic ERG and pattern ERG (PERG) amplitudes. Finally, evaluation of the optomotor response demonstrated that GD3s-/- mice have reduced visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. These results suggest that b- series gangliosides play a critical role in regulating the structure and function of the mouse visual system. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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