Abstract
The rod visual pigment, rhodopsin, and its illuminated form, opsin, were used to induce experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis in rats. Rhodopsin appears to be more pathogenic than opsin. A dose of 250 μg rhodopsin injected in Freund's complete adjuvant and pertussis adjuvant induces nongranulomatous inflammation with higher frequency, which starts earlier and is more severe than that induced by opsin. Two weeks postinjection, the mean score of rhodopsin-injected animals is more than twice as high as that of opsin-injected animals. The high pathogenicity of rhodopsin appears to be related to the biochemical integrity of the protein and depends on its state of illumination. The levels of the immune responses (both cellular and humoral) measured at day 10 postinjection do not account for the pronounced difference in pathogenicity between rhodopsin and opsin. The developmental patterns of severe uveoretinitis induced by rhodopsin or opsin were histologically evaluated and appear to be similar. In both cases we observed dense mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cell infiltrations in the retina and anterior uvea. Only in the severe stages does the choroid become involved. However, rhodopsin causes more pronounced involvement of the ciliary body, pars plana, and anterior chamber. The inflammation finally results in total elimination of the photoreceptor cell layer.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brinkman CJJ, Pinckers AJLG, Broekhuyse RM (1980) Immune reactivity to different retinal antigens in patients suffering from retinitis pigmentosa. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 19: 743–750
Broekhuyse RM, Winkens HJ, Kuhlmann ED, Van Vugt AHM (1984) Opsin-induced experimental autoimmune retinitis in rats. Curr Eye Res 3:1405–1412
Broekhuyse RM, Winkens HJ, Kuhlmann ED (1986) Induction of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis and pinealitis with IRBP. Comparison to uveoretinitis induced by S-antigen and opsin. Curr Eye Res 5:231–240
Broekhuyse RM, Winkens HJ, Kuhlmann ED (1988) IRBP-induced autoimmune uveoretinitis and pinealitis in rats and monkeys. Proceedings of the symposium on the immunology and immunopathology of the eye, Padova 1986 (in press)
Broekhuyse RM, Winkens HJ, Kuhlmann ED, Van Vugt (1988) Opsin-induced autoimmune chorioretinitis in monkeys. Proceedings of the symposium on the immunology and immunopathology of the eye, Padova 1986 (in press)
Broekhuyse RM, Kuhlmann ED, Van Vugt AHM, Winkens HJ (1987) Immunological and immunopathological aspects of opsin-induced uveoretinitis. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 225:45–49
De Grip WJ (1982) Thermal stability of rhodopsin and opsin in some novel detergents. Methods Enzymol 81:256–265
De Grip WJ (1985) Immunochemistry of rhodopsin. Prog Ret Res 4:137–180
De Grip WJ, Daemen FJM, Bonting SL (1980) Isolation and purification of bovine rhodopsin. Methods Enzymol 67:301–320
De Grip WJ, Olive J, Bovee-Geurts PHM (1983) Reversible modulation of rhodopsin photolysis in pure phosphatidylserine membranes. Biochim Biophys Acta 734:168–179
De Kozak Y, Faure JP, Andy H, Usui M, Thillaye B (1978) Suppression et traitement de l'uvéorétinite autoimmune expérimentale par injections d'extraits de rétine. Ann Immunol (Inst Pasteur) 129:73–88
De Kozak Y, Sakai J, Thillaye B, Faure JP (1981) S-antigen induced experimental autoimmune uveo-retinitis in rats. Curr Eye Res 1:327–336
De Kozak Y, Sainte-Laudy J, Benveniste J, Faure JP (1981) Evidence for immediate hypersensitivity phenomena in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis. Eur J Immunol 11: 612–617
Dratz EA, Hargrave PA (1983) The structure of rhodopsin and the rod outer segment disk membrane. Trends Biochem Sci 8:128–131
Forrester JV, Borthwick GM, McMeramin RG (1985) Ultrastructural pathology of S-antigen induced uveoretinitis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 26:1281–1292
Gery I, Mochizuki M, Nussenblatt RB (1986) Retinal specific antigens and immunopathogenic processes they provoke. Prog Ret Res 5:75–109
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275
Marak GE, Rao NA (1982) Retinal S-antigen disease in rats. Ophthalmic Res 14:29–39
Marak GE, Shichi H, Rao NA, Wacker WB (1980) Patterns of experimental allergic uveitis induced by rhodopsin and retinal rod outer segments. Ophthalmic Res 12:165–176
Meyers-Elliott RH, Gammon RA, Sumner HL, Shimizu I (1983) Experimental retinal autoimmunity (ERA) in strain 13 guinea pigs. Induction of ERA-retinopathy with rhodopsin. Clin Immunol Immunopathol 27:81–95
Schalken JJ, De Grip WJ (1986) Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for quantitative determination of the visual pigment rhodopsin in total eye extracts. Exp Eye Res 43:431–439
Wacker WB (1981) Isolation of retinal S-antigen and its role in experimental ocular autoimmunity. In: Sears ML (ed) Directions in ophthalmic research. Yale University Press, New Haven London, pp 5–9
Wong VG, Green WR, McMaster PRB (1977) Rhodopsin and blindness. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 75:272–284
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schalken, J.J., van Vugt, A.H.M., Winkens, H.J. et al. Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis in rats induced by rod visual pigment: Rhodopsin is more pathogenic than opsin. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 226, 255–261 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02181192
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02181192