April 2011
Volume 52, Issue 14
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   April 2011
Role Of FAM18B In Diabetic Retinopathy
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Ai Ling Wang
    Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • Michael A. Grassi
    Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  Ai Ling Wang, None; Michael A. Grassi, None
  • Footnotes
    Support  K08EY019089, Diabetes Research and Training Center P60 DK020595-32, Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Fight for Sight, OneSight
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science April 2011, Vol.52, 2579. doi:
  • Views
  • Share
  • Tools
    • Alerts
      ×
      This feature is available to authenticated users only.
      Sign In or Create an Account ×
    • Get Citation

      Ai Ling Wang, Michael A. Grassi; Role Of FAM18B In Diabetic Retinopathy. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2011;52(14):2579.

      Download citation file:


      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

      ×
  • Supplements
Abstract

Purpose: : A genome-wide association study performed by our group has implicated FAM18B, a gene of unknown function, in the pathogenesis of severe diabetic retinopathy. We sought to explore the function and potential role of FAM18B in diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: : Immunohistochemical labeling of FAM18B was examined in posterior segments of postmortem human eye samples using antibodies specific for FAM18B. For functional evaluation, cultured human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) and a rat retinal endothelial cell line (TR-iBRB) were exposed to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) (100 ug/mL) for 24hrs. Expression levels of FAM18B were measured. In order to explore clinical relevance and assess correlation with disease severity, human peripheral blood samples were collected from subjects with diabetes (proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (n=8) or no diabetic retinopathy (n=9)). White blood cells were labeled with antibodies specific for VEGFR2 and CD34, markers for endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) which are the major contributors to pathologic neovascularization in diabetic retinopathy. The double positive cells of VEGFR2 and CD34 were isolated by flow cytometry. Expression levels of FAM18B were measured in isolated EPCs by quantitative PCR.

Results: : FAM18B is specifically located in vascular endothelial cells, both in neural retina and choroid. In-vitro experiments in both TR-iBRB and HRMECs show FAM18B to be significantly decreased in response to AGEs treatment (p=0.04 and p=0.03, respectively). FAM18B gene expression was also significantly down-regulated in EPCs from PDR patients compared to subjects without diabetic retinopathy (p=0.001).

Conclusions: : In conjunction with the genetic association studies this work suggests that FAM18B may play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy given its presence in retinal endothelial cells, response to AGEs, and differential regulation in individuals with PDR.

Keywords: diabetes • diabetic retinopathy • gene screening 
×
×

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

Sign in or purchase a subscription to access this content. ×

You must be signed into an individual account to use this feature.

×