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Background In the Western world, a major cause of blindness is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Recent research in angiogenesis has furthered the understanding of choroidal neovascularization, which occurs in the 'wet' form of AMD. In contrast, very little is known about the mechanisms of the predominant, 'dry' form of AMD, which is characterized by retinal atrophy and choroidal involution. The aim of this study is to elucidate the possible implication of the scavenger receptor CD36 in retinal degeneration and choroidal involution, the cardinal features of the dry form of AMD. Methods and Findings We here show that deficiency of CD36, which participates in outer segment (OS) phagocytosis by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in vitro, leads to significant progressive age-related photoreceptor degeneration evaluated histologically at different ages in two rodent models of CD36 invalidation in vivo (Spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) and [CD36.sup.-/-] mice). Furthermore, these animals developed significant age related choroidal involution reflected in a 100%-300% increase in the avascu1ar area of the choriocapillaries measured on vascular corrosion casts of aged animals. We also show that proangiogenic COX2 expression in RIDE is stimulated by CD36 activating antibody and that CD36-deficient RIDE cells from SHR rats fail to induce COX2 and subsequent vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression upon OS or antibody stimulation in vitro. [CD36.sup.-/-] mice express reduced levels of COX2 and VEGF in vivo, and [COX2.sup.-/-] mice develop progressive choroidal degeneration similar to what is seen in CD36 deficiency. Conclusions CD36 deficiency leads to choroidal involution via COX2 down-regulation in the RPE. These results show a novel molecular mechanism of choroidal degeneration, a key feature of dry AMD. These findings unveil a pathogenic process, to our knowledge previously undescribed, with important implications for the development of new therapies., Introduction Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss among older adults in industrialized countries [1]. The most prominent pathologic features of AMD involve lesions of the [...]

The role of retinal microglial cells (MCs) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is unclear. Here we demonstrated that all retinal MCs express CX3C chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) and that homozygosity [...]

Photoreceptor degeneration in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is associated with an infiltration and chronic accumulation of mononuclear phagocytes (MPs). We have previously shown that Cx3cr1-deficient mice develop age- and stress- related subretinal accumulation of MPs, which is associated with photoreceptor degeneration. Cx3cr1-deficient MPs have been shown to increase neuronal apoptosis through IL-1β in neuroinflammation of the brain. The reason for increased IL-1β secretion from Cx3cr1-deficient MPs, and whether IL-1β is responsible for increased photoreceptor apoptosis in Cx3cr1-deficient mice, has not been elucidated. Here we show that Cx3cr1-deficient MPs express increased surface P2X7 receptor (P2RX7), which stimulates IL-1β maturation and secretion. P2RX7 and IL-1β inhibition efficiently blunted Cx3cr1-MP-dependent photoreceptor apoptosis in a monocyte/retina coculture system and in lightinduced subretinal inflammation of Cx3cr1-deficient mice in vivo. Our results provide an explanation for increased CX3CR1-dependent IL-1β secretion and suggest that IL-1β or P2RX7 inhibition can help inhibit the inflammation-associated photoreceptor cell loss in late AMD, including geographic atrophy, for which no efficient treatment currently exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is associated with the subretinal accumulation of mononuclear phagocytes (MPs). Their role in promoting or inhibiting retinal degeneration is unknown. We here show that atrophic AMD is associated with increased intraocular CCL2 levels and subretinal CCR2+ inflammatory monocyte infiltration in patients. Using age- and light-induced subretinal inflammation and photoreceptor degeneration in Cx3cr1 knockout mice, we show that subretinal Cx3cr1 deficient MPs overexpress CCL2 and that both the genetic deletion of CCL2 or CCR2 and the pharmacological inhibition of CCR2 prevent inflammatory monocyte recruitment, MP accumulation and photoreceptor degeneration in vivo. Our study shows that contrary to CCR2 and CCL2, CX3CR1 is constitutively expressed in the retina where it represses the expression of CCL2 and the recruitment of neurotoxic inflammatory CCR2+ monocytes. CCL2/CCR2 inhibition might represent a powerful tool for controlling inflammation and neurodegeneration in AMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Thinning of the RPE and the underlying vascular layer, the choroid, is observed with age in many human eye disorders. The reasons for this thinning are ill-defined. Here, we highlight the possible role of T lymphocyte recruitment in choroidoretinal thinning in aged and light-challenged mice., Methods: In age and light challenge models, we measured chemokine concentrations using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and used flow cytometry to characterize lymphocyte populations. We quantified thinning in eye immunosections and RPE65 expression using quantitative PCR., Results: Age and light challenge led to increased levels of the lymphotactic protein CXCL10 alone (aging) or in conjunction with CXCL9 (light challenge). Increased numbers of CD3+ T lymphocytes, most of them CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, were also observed in the choroid and retina of old mice and following light challenge. Influx of T lymphocytes was associated with RPE and choroidal thinning and diminished expression of RPE65 mRNA, an essential enzyme of the visual cycle., Conclusions: The observations from this study suggest that cytotoxic CD8(+) T lymphocytes might participate in choroidal and RPE degeneration and that modulation of T lymphocyte recruitment might be a novel strategy to reduce choroidoretinal dysfunctions observed with age and following photo-oxidative stress.