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The proneural transcription factor atonal basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor 7 ( ATOH7 ) is expressed in early progenitors in the developing neuroretina. In vertebrates, this is crucial for the development of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), as mutant animals show an almost complete absence of RGCs, underdeveloped optic nerves, and aberrations in retinal vessel development. Human mutations are rare and result in autosomal recessive optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) or severe vascular changes, diagnosed as autosomal recessive persistent hyperplasia of the primary vitreous (PHPVAR). To better understand the role of ATOH7 in neuroretinal development, we created ATOH7 knockout and eGFP-expressing ATOH7 reporter human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), which were differentiated into early-stage retinal organoids. Target loci regulated by ATOH7 were identified by Cleavage Under Targets and Release Using Nuclease with sequencing (CUT&RUN-seq) and differential expression by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of wildtype and mutant organoid-derived reporter cells. Additionally, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on whole organoids to identify cell type-specific genes. Mutant organoids displayed substantial deficiency in axon sprouting, reduction in RGCs, and an increase in other cell types. We identified 469 differentially expressed target genes, with an overrepresentation of genes belonging to axon development/guidance and Notch signaling. Taken together, we consolidate the function of human ATOH7 in guiding progenitor competence by inducing RGC-specific genes while inhibiting other cell fates. Furthermore, we highlight candidate genes responsible for ATOH7 -associated optic nerve and retinovascular anomalies, which sheds light to potential future therapy targets for related disorders.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive disease of the macula characterized by atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor degeneration, leading to severe vision loss at advanced stages in the elderly population. Impaired reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) as well as intracellular lipid accumulation in the RPE are implicated in AMD pathogenesis. Here, we focus on ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1), a major cholesterol transport protein in the RPE, and analyze conditions that lead to ABCA1 dysregulation in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived RPE cells (iRPEs). Our results indicate that the risk-conferring alleles rs1883025 (C) and rs2740488 (A) in ABCA1 are associated with increased ABCA1 mRNA and protein levels and reduced efficiency of cholesterol efflux from the RPE. Hypoxia, an environmental risk factor for AMD, reduced expression of ABCA1 and increased intracellular lipid accumulation. Treatment with a liver X receptor (LXR) agonist led to an increase in ABCA1 expression and reduced lipid accumulation. Our data strengthen the homeostatic role of cholesterol efflux in the RPE and suggest that increasing cellular cholesterol export by stimulating ABCA1 expression might lessen lipid load, improving RPE survival and reducing the risk of developing AMD.

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are evolutionarily conserved and structurally similar proteins important in development. The temporospatial expression of atonal bHLH transcription factor 7 ( ATOH7 ) directs the differentiation of retinal ganglion cells and mutations in the human gene lead to vitreoretinal and/or optic nerve abnormalities. Characterization of pathogenic ATOH7 mutations is needed to understand the functions of the conserved bHLH motif. The published ATOH7 in-frame deletion p.(Arg41_Arg48del) removes eight highly conserved amino acids in the basic domain. We functionally characterized the mutant protein by expressing V5-tagged ATOH7 constructs in human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cells for subsequent protein analyses, including Western blot, cycloheximide chase assays, Förster resonance energy transfer fluorescence lifetime imaging, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and dual-luciferase assays. Our results indicate that the in-frame deletion in the basic domain causes mislocalization of the protein, which can be rescued by a putative dimerization partner transcription factor 3 isoform E47 (E47), suggesting synergistic nuclear import. Furthermore, we observed (i) increased proteasomal degradation of the mutant protein, (ii) reduced protein heterodimerization, (iii) decreased DNA-binding and transcriptional activation of a reporter gene, as well as (iv) inhibited E47 activity. Altogether our observations suggest that the DNA-binding basic domain of ATOH7 has additional roles in regulating the nuclear import, dimerization, and protein stability.

Purpose: To (i) describe a series of patients with isolated or syndromic nanophthalmos with the underlying genetic causes, including novel pathogenic variants and their functional characterization and (ii) to study the association of retinal dystrophy in patients with MFRP variants, based on a detailed literature review of genotype-phenotype correlations., Methods: Patients with nanophthalmos and available family members received a comprehensive ophthalmological examination. Genetic analysis was based on whole-exome sequencing and variant calling in core genes including MFRP, BEST1, TMEM98, PRSS56, CRB1, GJA1, C1QTNF5, MYRF and FAM111A. A minigene assay was performed for functional characterization of a splice site variant., Results: Seven patients, aged between three and 65 years, from five unrelated families were included. Novel pathogenic variants in MFRP (c.497C>T, c.899-3C>A, c.1180G>A), and PRSS56 (c.1202C>A), and a recurrent de novo variant in FAM111A (c.1706G>A) in a patient with Kenny-Caffey syndrome type 2, were identified. In addition, we report co-inheritance of MFRP-related nanophthalmos and ADAR-related Aicardi-Goutières syndrome., Conclusion: Nanophthalmos is a genetically heterogeneous condition, and the severity of ocular manifestations appears not to correlate with variants in a specific gene. However, retinal dystrophy is only observed in patients harbouring pathogenic MFRP variants. Furthermore, heterozygous carriers of MFRP and PRSS56 should be screened for the presence of high hyperopia. Identifying nanophthalmos as an isolated condition or as part of a syndrome has implications for counselling and can accelerate the interdisciplinary care of patients., (© 2020 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular basis of childhood glaucoma in Switzerland to recommend future targeted genetic analysis in the Swiss population., Methods: Whole-exome sequencing and copy number variation (CNV) analysis was performed in a Swiss cohort of 18 patients from 14 unrelated families. Identified variants were validated by Sanger sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Breakpoints of structural variants were determined by a microarray. A minigene assay was conducted for functional analysis of a splice site variant., Results: A diagnosis of primary congenital glaucoma was made in 14 patients, of which six (43%) harbored pathogenic variants in CYP1B1 , one (7%) a frameshift variant in FOXC1 , and seven (50%) remained without a genetic diagnosis. Three patients were diagnosed with glaucoma associated with nonacquired ocular anomalies, of which two patients with mild ocular features of Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome harbored a FOXC1 duplication plus an additional FOXC1 missense variant, and one patient with a Barkan membrane remained without genetic diagnosis. A diagnosis of juvenile open-angle glaucoma was made in one patient, and genetic analysis revealed a FOXC1 duplication., Conclusions: Sequencing of CYP1B1 and FOXC1 , as well as analysis of CNVs in FOXC1 , should be performed before extended gene panel sequencing., Translational Relevance: The identification of the molecular cause of childhood glaucoma is a prerequisite for genetic counseling and personalized care for patients and families., Competing Interests: Disclosure: E. Lang, None; S. Koller, None; L. Bähr, None; M. Töteberg-Harms, None; D. Atac, None; F. Roulez, None; A. Bahr, None; K. Steindl, None; S. Feil, None; W. Berger, None; C. Gerth-Kahlert, None, (Copyright 2020 The Authors.)

Optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) is a congenital optic nerve abnormality caused by underdevelopment of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Despite being a rare disease, ONH is the most common optic disk anomaly in ophthalmological practice. So far, mutations in several genes have been identified as causative; however, many cases of ONH remain without a molecular explanation. The early transcription factor atonal basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor 7 (ATOH7) is expressed in retinal progenitor cells and has a crucial role in RGC development. Previous studies have identified several mutations in the ATOH7 locus in cases of eye developmental diseases such as non-syndromic congenital retinal non-attachment and persistent hyperplasia of the primary vitreous. Here we present two siblings with a phenotype predominated by bilateral ONH, with additional features of foveal hypoplasia and distinct vascular abnormalities, where whole-exome sequencing identified two compound heterozygous missense mutations affecting a conserved amino acid residue within the bHLH domain of ATOH7 (NM_145178.3:c.175G>A; p.(Ala59Thr) and c.176C>T; p.(Ala59Val)). ATOH7 expression constructs with patient single nucleotide variants were cloned for functional characterization. Protein analyses revealed decreased protein amounts and significantly enhanced degradation in the presence of E47, a putative bHLH dimerization partner. Protein interaction assays revealed decreased heterodimerization and DNA-binding of ATOH7 variants, resulting in total loss of transcriptional activation of luciferase reporter gene expression. These findings strongly support pathogenicity of the two ATOH7 mutations, one of which is novel. Additionally, this report highlights the possible impact of altered ATOH7 dimerization on protein stability and function., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in various physiological processes and also implicated in multiple pathological states. It has been suggested that OPN may have a role in type 2 diabetes (T2D) by protecting pancreatic islets and interaction with incretins. However, the regulation and function of OPN in islets, especially in humans, remains largely unexplored. In this study, we performed our investigations on both diabetic mouse model SUR1-E1506K+/+ and islets from human donors. We demonstrated that OPN protein, secretion and gene expression was elevated in the diabetic SUR1-E1506K+/+ islets. We also showed that high glucose and incretins simultaneously stimulated islet OPN secretion. In islets from human cadaver donors, OPN gene expression was elevated in diabetic islets, and externally added OPN significantly increased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) from diabetic but not normal glycemic donors. The increase in GSIS by OPN in diabetic human islets was Ca 2+ dependent, which was abolished by Ca 2+ -channel inhibitor isradipine. Furthermore, we also confirmed that OPN promoted cell metabolic activity when challenged by high glucose. These observations provided evidence on the protective role of OPN in pancreatic islets under diabetic condition, and may point to novel therapeutic targets for islet protection in T2D., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) has been shown to be associated with glucose-induced deterioration of pancreatic beta cell function in diabetes. However, whether epigenetic mechanisms contribute to the regulation of TXNIP gene expression by glucose is not clear. Here we studied how glucose exerts its effect on TXNIP gene expression via modulation of histone acetylation marks. To achieve this, we applied clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9) to knock out histone acetyltransferase (HAT) p300 in a rat pancreatic beta cell line INS1 832/13. We also treated the cells and human islets with chemical inhibitors of HAT p300 and histone deacetylase (HDAC). In human islets, diabetes and high glucose resulted in elevated TXNIP and EP300 expression, and glucose-induced TXNIP expression could be reversed by p300 inhibitor C646. In INS1 832/13 cells, Ep300 knock-out by CRISPR/Cas9 elevated glucose-induced insulin secretion and greatly reduced glucose-stimulated Txnip expression and cell apoptosis. This effect could be ascribed to decrease in histone marks H3K9ac and H4ac at the promoter and first coding region of the Txnip gene. Histone marks H3K9ac and H4ac in the Txnip gene in the wild-type cells was inhibited by HDAC inhibitor at high glucose, which most likely was due to enhanced acetylation levels of p300 after HDAC inhibition; and thereby reduced p300 binding to the Txnip gene promoter region. Such inhibition was absent in the Ep300 knock-out cells. Our study provides evidence that histone acetylation serves as a key regulator of glucose-induced increase in TXNIP gene expression and thereby glucotoxicity-induced apoptosis., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Diabetic kidney disease is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Genetic factors have been suggested to contribute to its susceptibility. However, results from genetic studies are disappointing possibly because the role of glucose in diabetic kidney disease predisposed by epigenetic mechanisms has not been taken into account. Since thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) has been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease, we tested whether glucose could induce expression of TXNIP in the kidney by epigenetic mechanisms. In kidneys from diabetic Sur1-E1506K(+/+) mice, hyperglycemia-induced Txnip expression was associated with stimulation of activating histone marks H3K9ac, H3K4me3, and H3K4me1, as well as decrease in the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 at the promoter region of the gene. Glucose also coordinated changes in histone marks and TXNIP gene expression in mouse SV40 MES13 mesangial cells and the normal human mesangial cell line NHMC. The involvement of histone acetylation in glucose-stimulated TXNIP expression was confirmed by reversing or enhancing acetylation using the histone acetyltransferase p300 inhibitor C646 or the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A. Thus, glucose is a potent inducer of histone modifications, which could drive expression of proinflammatory genes and thereby predispose to diabetic kidney disease., (Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diabetes nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end stage renal disease and it affects up to 40% of diabetic patients. In addition to hyperglycemia, genetic factors are thought to contribute to the development of DN, but few if any genetic factors have been convincingly linked to DN. Other possible mechanisms may involve epigenetic regulation of glucose-stimulated gene activity which was suggested to explain long-term effects of poor glycemic control on risk of diabetic complications, often referred to as metabolic memory. Osteopontin (OPN) is one of the genes upregulated in kidneys from diabetic mouse models as well as humans with DN, and suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of DN. In this study, we demonstrated that OPN gene expression is upregulated in the kidneys of a hyperglycemia diabetes mouse model SUR1-E1506K, and glucose-stimulated OPN gene expression is strongly associated with increases in activating histone marks H3K9ac, H3K4me1 and H3K4me3 and decrease in inactivating mark H3K27me3 in the promoter region of OPN gene. These findings were replicated in human mesangial cells treated with high glucose. Further proof for the involvement of histone acetylation and methylation in glucose-induced changes in OPN gene expression was obtained by manipulating histone modifications thereby OPN gene expression by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor trichostatin A and histone methyltransferase (HMT) inhibitor MM-102. We conclude that glucose is a potent inducer of histone acetylation and methylation, which in turn leads to upregulation of OPN gene expression. Treatment targeting histone marks may therefore represent an alternative method to protect kidneys from deleterious effects of glucose., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Normal glucose homeostasis is characterized by appropriate insulin secretion and low HbA1c. Gene expression signatures associated with these two phenotypes could be essential for islet function and pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Herein, we employed a novel approach to identify candidate genes involved in T2D by correlating islet microarray gene expression data (78 donors) with insulin secretion and HbA1c level. The expression of 649 genes (P < 0.05) was correlated with insulin secretion and HbA1c. Of them, five genes (GLR1A, PPP1R1A, PLCDXD3, FAM105A and ENO2) correlated positively with insulin secretion/negatively with HbA1c and one gene (GNG5) correlated negatively with insulin secretion/positively with HbA1c were followed up. The five positively correlated genes have lower expression levels in diabetic islets, whereas GNG5 expression is higher. Exposure of human islets to high glucose for 24 h resulted in up-regulation of GNG5 and PPP1R1A expression, whereas the expression of ENO2 and GLRA1 was down-regulated. No effect was seen on the expression of FAM105A and PLCXD3. siRNA silencing in INS-1 832/13 cells showed reduction in insulin secretion for PPP1R1A, PLXCD3, ENO2, FAM105A and GNG5 but not GLRA1. Although no SNP in these gene loci passed the genome-wide significance for association with T2D in DIAGRAM+ database, four SNPs influenced gene expression in cis in human islets. In conclusion, we identified and confirmed PPP1R1A, FAM105A, ENO2, PLCDX3 and GNG5 as potential regulators of islet function. We provide a list of candidate genes as a resource for exploring their role in the pathogenesis of T2D., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)