Deficiency of neuropilin 2 suppresses VEGF-induced retinal neovascularization.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a central role in the development of ocular neovascularization (NV) and is an excellent target for therapeutic intervention. VEGF acts through several receptors, including VEGF receptor 1, VEGF receptor 2, neuropilin-1 (Npn1), and Npn2, but the exact role of these receptors in the development of retinal NV is unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of npn2 mRNA during new blood vessel growth in the retina and used npn2 knockout mice to assess the impact of deficiency of Npn2 on retinal NV.

Increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor preserves retinal function and slows cell death from rhodopsin mutation or oxidative damage.

There are no effective treatments for inherited retinal degenerations, which are prevalent causes of visual disability. Several proteins promote the survival of various types of neurons, and increasing expression of one or more of these survival factors is a promising strategy for a new treatment. Studies examining the effects of intravitreous injections of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in models of inherited retinal degenerations have suggested that BDNF has little survival-promoting activity for photoreceptors.