JNK1 Protein Kinase Plays Key Role in Retinopathy Development in Premature Infants

Strategic Insights -

A study in mice by researchers at the University of California, San Diego has found that the protein kinase JNK1 is crucial in the development of retinopathy in premature infants. The finding, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggests that JNK1 inhibitors may lead to an effective treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of childhood blindness in industrialized countries. Retinopathy of prematurity occurs when high oxygen levels cause the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina, leading to vision loss.

Key Takeaways:

  • The JNK group of protein kinases responds to stress by inducing the over-production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which promotes the growth of blood cells.
  • Mice lacking JNK1 exhibited lower levels of VEGF in the retina, reducing abnormal blood vessel growth and preserving normal retinal function.
  • Injection of a JNK inhibitor, D-JNKi, into the mouse retina decreased VEGF expression, reducing abnormal blood vessel growth.
  • The study suggests that JNK1 inhibitors may lead to a new effective treatment for ROP, a leading cause of childhood blindness.
  • Current treatments for ROP, such as laser ablation, are destructive and only partially effective.
  • The study highlights the importance of developing new therapies that can suppress VEGF without impairing retinal development.

Statistics:

  • 65% of infants born at 23-26 weeks gestation develop ROP (102 out of 157 babies examined).
  • 50% of infants born between 27-28 weeks gestation develop ROP (source: Australian hospital report).
  • The study found that JNK1 inhibitor D-JNKi reduced VEGF expression by 50%.
  • The UC San Diego researchers reported that aborted angiogenesis and normal retinal function were barely disrupted in mice lacking JNK1.

Sources:

  • "Paradoxically, it isn't high oxygen levels that damage the retina," explained first author Monica Guma, MD, PhD, of the departments of pharmacology and pathology at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), published online the week of May 4-9 in advance of print.
  • University of California - San Diego.
  • "Retinopathy of prematurity" defined on NewsRx.com.