SUMMARY Phagocytosis and degradation of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is fundamental to vision. Autophagy is also responsible for bulk degradation of cellular components but its role in POS degradation is not well understood. We report that the morning burst of RPE phagocytosis coincided with the enzymatic conversion of autophagy protein LC3 to its lipidated form. LC3 then associated with single membrane phagosomes containing engulfed POS in an Atg5 dependent manner that required Beclin1 but not the autophagy pre-initiation complex. The importance of this process was verified in mice with Atg5-deficient RPE cells that showed evidence of disrupted lysosomal processing. These mice also exhibited decreased photoreceptor responses to light stimuli and decreased chromophore levels that were restored with exogenous retinoid supplementation. These results establish that the interplay of phagocytosis and autophagy within the RPE are required for both POS degradation and the maintenance of retinoid levels to support vision.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) catalytic subunit p110␦ is expressed in neutrophils and is thought to play a role in their accumulation at sites of inflammation by contributing to chemoattractantdirected migration. We report here that p110␦ is present in endothelial cells and participates in neutrophil trafficking by modulating the proadhesive state of these cells in response to tumor necrosis factor ␣ (TNF␣). Specifically, administration of the selective inhibitor of PI3K␦, IC87114, to animals reduced neutrophil tethering to and increased rolling velocities on cytokine-activated microvessels in a manner similar to that observed in mice deficient in p110␦. These results were confirmed in vitro as inhibition of this isoform in endothelium, but not neutrophils, diminished cell attachment in flow. A role for PI3K␦ in TNF␣-induced signaling is demonstrated by a reduction in Aktphosphorylation and phosphatidylinositol-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) enzyme activity upon treatment of this cell type with IC87114. p110␦ expressed in neutrophils also contributes to trafficking as demonstrated by the impaired movement of these cells across inflamed venules in animals in which this catalytic subunit was blocked or genetically deleted, results corroborated in transwell migration assays. Thus, PI3K␦ may be a reasonable therapeutic target in specific inflammatory conditions as blockade of its activity reduces neutrophil influx into tissues by diminishing their attachment to and migration across vascular endothelium. (Blood.

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