Controlled exosome release from the retinal pigment epithelium in situ

Retinal Pigment Epithelial cells (RPE) express both GPR143 and myocilin, which interact in a signal transduction-dependent manner. In heterologous systems, activation of GPR143 with ligand causes transient recruitment of myocilin to internalized receptors, which appears to be the entry point of myocilin to the endocytic pathway. In some but not all cells, myocilin also traffics through the multivesicular body (MVB) and is released on the surface of exosomes in a signal transduction-dependent fashion. Little is known regarding the role of exosomes in RPE, but they likely serve as a mode of communication between the RPE and the outer retina. In this study, we used posterior poles with retina removed from fresh human donor eyes as a model to test the relationship between GPR143, myocilin, and exosomes in an endogenous system. We isolated exosomes released by RPE using differential centrifugation of media conditioned by the RPE for 25 min, and then characterized the exosomes using nanoparticle tracking to determine the number and size of the exosomes. Next, we tested whether ligand stimulation of GPR143 using l-DOPA altered RPE exosome release. Finally, we investigated whether myocilin was present on the exosomes released by RPE and whether l-DOPA stimulation of GPR143 caused recruitment of myocilin to the endocytic pathway, as we have previously observed using cultured cells. Activation of GPR143 halted RPE exosome release, while simultaneously recruiting myocilin to the endocytic compartment. Together, our results indicate that GPR143 and myocilin function in a signal transduction system that can control exosome release from RPE.