Oxidative stress induces loss of pericyte coverage and vascular instability in PGC-1α-deficient mice

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) is a regulator of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis that is known to be inactivated in diabetic subjects. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of PGC-1α inactivation to th...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: García-Quintans, Nieves, Sánchez-Ramos, Cristina, Prieto, Ignacio, Tierrez, Albert, Arza, Elvira, Alfranca, Arántzazu, Redondo, Juan Miguel, Monsalve, María
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Fecha de publicación:2016
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/150943
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/150943
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Vascular stability
ROS
Angiogenesis
Retinopathy
PGC-1α
Descripción
Sumario:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) is a regulator of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis that is known to be inactivated in diabetic subjects. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of PGC-1α inactivation to the development of oxygen-induced retinopathy. We analyzed retinal vascular development in PGC-1α mice. Retinal vasculature of PGC-1α mice showed reduced pericyte coverage, a de-structured vascular plexus, and low perfusion. Exposure of PGC-1α mice to hyperoxia during retinal vascular development exacerbated these vascular abnormalities, with extensive retinal hemorrhaging and highly unstructured areas as compared with wild-type mice. Structural analysis demonstrated a reduction in membrane-bound VE-cadherin, which was suggestive of defective intercellular junctions. Interestingly, PGC-1α retinas showed a constitutive activation of the VEGF-A signaling pathway. This phenotype could be partially reversed by antioxidant administration, indicating that elevated production of ROS in the absence of PGC-1α could be a relevant factor in the alteration of the VEGF-A signaling pathway. Collectively, our findings suggest that PGC-1α control of ROS homeostasis plays an important role in the regulation of de novo angiogenesis and is required for vascular stability.