Regulation of disease-associated microglia in the optic nerve by lipoxin B₄ and ocular hypertension

The resident astrocyte-retinal ganglion cell (RGC) lipoxin circuit is impaired during retinal stress, which includes ocular hypertension-induced neuropathy. Lipoxin B₄ produced by homeostatic astrocytes directly acts on RGCs to increase survival and function in ocular hypertension-induced neuropathy. RGC death in the retina and axonal degeneration in the optic nerve are driven by the complex interactions between microglia and macroglia. Whether LXB₄ neuroprotective actions include regulation of other cell types in the retina and/or optic nerve is an important knowledge gap.

Cellular targets and signaling of LXB₄ in the retina were defined by single-cell RNA sequencing. Retinal neurodegeneration was induced by injecting silicone oil into the anterior chamber of mouse eyes, which induced sustained and stable ocular hypertension. Morphological characterization of microglia populations in the retina and optic nerve was established by MorphOMICs and pseudotime trajectory analyses. The pathways and mechanisms of action of LXB₄ in the optic nerve were investigated using bulk RNA sequencing. Transcriptomics data was validated by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Differences between experimental groups were assessed by Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA.

Single-cell transcriptomics identified microglia as a primary target for LXB₄ in the healthy retina. LXB₄ downregulated genes that drive microglia environmental sensing and reactivity responses. Analysis of microglial function revealed that ocular hypertension induced distinct, temporally defined, and dynamic phenotypes in the retina and, unexpectedly, in the distal myelinated optic nerve. Microglial expression of CD74, a marker of disease-associated microglia in the brain, was only induced in a unique population of optic nerve microglia, but not in the retina. Genetic deletion of lipoxin formation correlated with the presence of a CD74 optic nerve microglia population in normotensive eyes, while LXB₄ treatment during ocular hypertension shifted optic nerve microglia toward a homeostatic morphology and non-reactive state and downregulated the expression of CD74. Furthermore, we identified a correlation between CD74 and phospho-phosphoinositide 3-kinases (p-PI3K) expression levels in the optic nerve, which was reduced by LXB₄ treatment.

We identified early and dynamic changes in the microglia functional phenotype, reactivity, and induction of a unique CD74 microglia population in the distal optic nerve as key features of ocular hypertension-induced neurodegeneration. Our findings establish microglia regulation as a novel LXB₄ target in the retina and optic nerve. LXB₄ maintenance of a homeostatic optic nerve microglia phenotype and inhibition of a disease-associated phenotype are potential neuroprotective mechanisms for the resident LXB₄ pathway.