0000000000340829
AUTHOR
Julie Mazzocco
Plasmalogens and cell-cell communication between retinal glial cells
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.; Purpose: Plasmalogens (or ether-lipids) are a particular class of glycerophospholipids characterized by the presence of a vinyl-ether bond at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone and by the preferential esterification of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) at the sn-2 position. Plasmalogens are found at high concentrations in retinal macroglial cells such as Müller cells and astrocytes. Müller cells and astrocytes are known to communicate by the way of intracellular calcium waves and gap junctions. Connexin 43 is the major protein of these communicating junctions. The aim o…
Plasmalogen depletion in Müller glia alters both Cx43 expression and gap junction intercellular communication with neighbouring astrocytes
International audience
Retinal enrichment in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids limits choroidal neovascularization
International audience; Purpose: Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the primary cause of blindness in elderly population of western countries. Prospective epidemiologic studies have reported that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) reduce the risk of progression to advanced AMD, and particularly to the neovascular forms. In this study, we have investigated the beneficial effects of omega-3 PUFA on choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in mice.Methods: Fat-1 mice, endogenously converting omega-6 to omega-3 PUFA, and littermate controls were used at 4 months of age. CNV was induced unilaterally in eye fundus by photocoagulation using a 532-nm laser. Confocal scanning laser ophthal…
Plasmalogens in the retina: From occurrence in retinal cell membranes to potential involvement in pathophysiology of retinal diseases
Plasmalogens (Pls) represent a specific subclass of glycerophospholipids characterized by the presence of a vinyl-ether bond at the sn-1 position of glycerol. Pls are quantitatively important in membranes of neuronal tissues, including the brain and the retina, where they can represent until almost two-third of ethanolamine glycerophospholipids. They are considered as reservoirs of polyunsaturated fatty acids as several studies have shown that arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids are preferentially esterified on Pls when compared to other glycerophospholipids. Reduced levels of Pls were observed in a number of neurodegenerative disorders such as glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindn…
Characterization of plasmalogens in retinal glial cells
Purpose: Plasmalogens (or ether-lipids) constitute a particular class of glycerophospholipids that are characterized by the presence of a vinyl-ether bond at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone and by the preferential esterification of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) at the sn-2 position. Although their exact functions remain enigmatic, previous data from our laboratory suggest that plasmalogens play crucial functions during retinal vessel development by affecting astrocyte template formation (Saab et al PLoSONE 2014;9(6):e101076). The aim of this study was to better characterize plasmalogens in the retina and to determine which cells are responsible for plasmalogens production w…
Plasmalogen metabolism in retinal glial cells : interaction between cells during normal or pathological vascular development
Retinal vascular disorders such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), diabetic retinopathy or age-related macular degeneration represent the first cause of vision loss at all ages in industrialized countries. Many epidemiological or animal studies have shown the involvement of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the regulation of vascular development and more specifically the beneficial properties of omega 3 PUFA (n-3 PUFA) against pathological vascularization. Those PUFA are esterified on glycerophospholipids (GP). GP are the primary constituents of the lipid bilayer of cell membranes. PUFA can be also esterified on a specific class of GP, called plasmalogens. Plasmalogens are characteriz…
Impact of a reduction of plasmalogen levels on Muller cell metabolism
Purpose : Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of blindness in premature children resulting from abnormal vascular development. Previous studies have shown that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can modulate physiologic and pathologic angiogenesis. Data from our laboratory suggest that plasmalogens, that are phospholipids that concentrate omega-3 PUFAs, are involved in the regulation of post-natal retinal vascular development through the action of a calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) (Saab et al PLoSONE 2014). In the retina, Müller cells are known to play crucial functions in retinal angiogenesis as well as to be rich in plasmalogens and to express phosp…
Gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) is regulated by plasmalogens in retinal macroglial cells
International audience