September 2016
Volume 57, Issue 12
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   September 2016
Humanin enhances mitochondrial biogenesis in RPE cells
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Parameswaran G Sreekumar
    Arnold and Mabel Beckman Macular Research Center, Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Hiroto Terasaki
    Arnold and Mabel Beckman Macular Research Center, Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Christine Spee
    Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Hemal H Mehta
    USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Los Angeles,, California, United States
  • Junxiang Wan
    USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Los Angeles,, California, United States
  • Kelvin Yen
    USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Los Angeles,, California, United States
  • Pinchas Cohen
    USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Los Angeles,, California, United States
  • Ram Kannan
    Arnold and Mabel Beckman Macular Research Center, Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • David R Hinton
    Pathology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
    Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Parameswaran Sreekumar, None; Hiroto Terasaki, None; Christine Spee, None; Hemal Mehta, None; Junxiang Wan, None; Kelvin Yen, None; Pinchas Cohen, CohBar Inc (C); Ram Kannan, None; David Hinton, None
  • Footnotes
    Support  EY01545, 1R01AG034430, 1R01GM090311, 1R01ES020812, 1P01AG034906, a Glen Foundation Award, and a grant from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science September 2016, Vol.57, 5016. doi:
  • Views
  • Share
  • Tools
    • Alerts
      ×
      This feature is available to authenticated users only.
      Sign In or Create an Account ×
    • Get Citation

      Parameswaran G Sreekumar, Hiroto Terasaki, Christine Spee, Hemal H Mehta, Junxiang Wan, Kelvin Yen, Pinchas Cohen, Ram Kannan, David R Hinton; Humanin enhances mitochondrial biogenesis in RPE cells. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2016;57(12):5016.

      Download citation file:


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

      ×
  • Supplements
Abstract

Purpose : Mitochondria are central to energy metabolism and apoptosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of aging and age-related diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. Humanin (HN) is transcribed from an open reading frame within the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA. HN is a multipotent peptide with cytoprotective, metabolic, anti-fibrilogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study tested the hypothesis that exogenous administration of HN could inhibit oxidative stress-induced cell death in RPE cultures, by improving mitochondrial function and biogenesis.

Methods : Primary hRPE cells were treated with 150 µM tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (tBH) in the absence/presence of 10 µg HN for 24 h. Mitochondrial bioenergetics was measured in RPE cells using the XF96 analyzer. Mitochondrial biogenesis was studied by measuring mitochondrial DNA copy number by PCR, determining mitochondrial number by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and evaluating levels of mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA), a biogenesis regulating protein, by Western blot.

Results : Primary hRPE cells treated with 150 µM tBH for 24 h showed a significant decrease in basal respiration and ATP turnover while HN co-treatment significantly restored mitochondrial bioenergetics. There was a significant increase in mtDNA copy number in RPE cells co-treated with HN plus tBH when compared to cells treated with tBH alone. TEM studies showed a significant increase in the mitochondria number in cells co-treated with HN plus tBH over tBH-only treated cells. We also found a significant increase in the protein level of mtTFA in HN only and HN plus tBH treated cells over tBH-only treated cells.

Conclusions : Collectively, our data strongly support the contention that HN protects RPE cells from oxidant injury by enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics and biogenesis. Thus, HN should be further studied as a therapeutic peptide in improving tissue function in conditions characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.

×
×

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.

×