Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among older adults. It has been suggested that mitochondrial defects in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) underlies AMD pathology. To test this idea, we developed primary cultures of RPE to ask whether RPE from donors with AMD differ in their metabolic profile compared with healthy age-matched donors. Analysis of gene expression, protein content, and RPE function showed that these cultured cells replicated many of the cardinal features of RPE in vivo. Using the Seahorse Extracellular Flux Analyzer to measure bioenergetics, we observed RPE from donors with AMD exhibited reduced mitochondrial and glycolytic function compared with healthy donors. RPE from AMD donors were also more resistant to oxidative inactivation of these two energy-producing pathways and were less susceptible to oxidation-induced cell death compared with cells from healthy donors. Investigation of the potential mechanism responsible for differences in bioenergetics and resistance to oxidative stress showed RPE from AMD donors had increased PGC1α protein as well as differential expression of multiple genes in response to an oxidative challenge. Based on our data, we propose that cultured RPE from donors phenotyped for the presence or absence of AMD provides an excellent model system for studying "AMD in a dish". Our results are consistent with the ideas that (i) a bioenergetics crisis in the RPE contributes to AMD pathology, and (ii) the diseased environment in vivo causes changes in the cellular profile that are retained in vitro.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, is characterized by the death of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors. One of the risk factors associated with developing AMD is the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) found within the gene encoding complement factor H (CFH). Part of the innate immune system, CFH inhibits alternative complement pathway activation. Multi-protein complexes called inflammasomes also play a role in the innate immune response. Previous studies reported that inflammasome activation may contribute to AMD pathology. In this study, we used primary human adult RPE cell cultures from multiple donors, with and without AMD, that were genotyped for the Y402H CFH risk allele. We found complement and inflammasome-related genes and proteins at basal levels in RPE tissue and cell cultures. Additionally, treatment with rotenone, bafilomycin A, and ATP led to inflammasome activation. Overall, the response to priming and activation was similar, irrespective of disease state or CFH genotype. While these data show that the inflammasome is present and active in RPE, our results suggest that inflammasome activation may not contribute to early AMD pathology.

Primary cultures of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) from human adult donors (haRPE) and induced pluripotent stem cell derived-RPE (iPSC-RPE) are valuable model systems for gaining mechanistic insight and for testing potential therapies for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study evaluated the treatment response of haRPE and iPSC-RPE to oxidative stress and potential therapeutics addressing mitochondrial defects. haRPE and iSPC-RPE were derived from donors with or without AMD. Mitochondrial function was measured after treatment with menadione, AICAR, or trehalose and the response to treatment was compared between cell models and by disease status. In a subset of samples, haRPE and iPSC-RPE were generated from the same human donor to make a side-by-side comparison of the two cell models’ response to treatment. Disease-specific responses to all three treatments was observed in the haRPE. In contrast, iPSC-RPE had a similar response to all treatments irrespective of disease status. Analysis of haRPE and iPSC-RPE generated from the same human donor showed a similar response for donors without AMD, but there were significant differences in treatment response between cell models generated from AMD donors. These results support the use of iPSC-RPE and haRPE when investigating AMD mechanisms and new therapeutics but indicates that attention to experimental conditions is required.

The centrosome, which consists of centrioles and pericentriolar material (PCM), becomes mature and assembles mitotic spindles by increasing the number of microtubules (MTs) emanating from the PCM. Among the molecules involved in centrosome maturation, Cep192 and Aurora A (AurA, also known as AURKA) are primarily responsible for recruitment of γ-tubulin and MT nucleators, whereas pericentrin (PCNT) is required for PCM organization. However, the role of Cep215 (also known as CDK5RAP2) in centrosome maturation remains elusive. Cep215 possesses binding domains for γ-tubulin, PCNT and MT motors that transport acentrosomal MTs towards the centrosome. We identify a mitosis-specific centrosome-targeting domain of Cep215 (215N) that interacts with Cep192 and phosphorylated AurA (pAurA). Cep192 is essential for targeting 215N to centrosomes, and centrosomal localization of 215N and pAurA is mutually dependent. Cep215 has a relatively minor role in γ-tubulin recruitment to the mitotic centrosome. However, it has been shown previously that this protein is important for connecting mitotic centrosomes to spindle poles. Based on the results of rescue experiments using versions of Cep215 with different domain deletions, we conclude that Cep215 plays a role in maintaining the structural integrity of the spindle pole by providing a platform for the molecules involved in centrosome maturation.