An allosteric peptide inhibitor of HIF-1α regulates hypoxia-induced retinal neovascularization

Retinal neovascularization (NV), a leading cause of vision loss, results from localized hypoxia that stabilizes the hypoxia-inducible transcription factors HIF-1α and HIF-2α, enabling the expression of angiogenic factors and genes required to maintain homeostasis under conditions of oxygen stress. HIF transcriptional activity depends on the interaction between its intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain and the transcriptional coactivators CBP/p300. Much effort is currently directed at disrupting protein-protein interactions between disease-associated transcription factors like HIF and their cellular partners. The intrinsically disordered protein CITED2, a direct product of HIF-mediated transcription, functions as a hypersensitive negative regulator that attenuates the hypoxic response by competing allosterically with HIF-1α for binding to CBP/p300. Here, we show that a peptide fragment of CITED2 is taken up by retinal cells and efficiently regulates pathological angiogenesis in murine models of ischemic retinopathy. Both vaso-obliteration (VO) and NV were significantly inhibited in an oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model following intravitreal injection of the CITED2 peptide. The CITED2 peptide localized to retinal neurons and glia, resulting in decreased expression of HIF target genes. Aflibercept, a commonly used anti-VEGF therapy for retinal neovascular diseases, rescued NV but not VO in OIR. However, a combination of the CITED2 peptide and a reduced dose of aflibercept significantly decreased both NV and VO. In contrast to anti-VEGF agents, the CITED2 peptide can rescue hypoxia-induced retinal NV by modulating the hypoxic response through direct competition with HIF for CBP/p300, suggesting a dual targeting strategy for treatment of ischemic retinal diseases and other neovascular disorders.