Retinal-pigmented epithelial (RPE) cell survival is critical to the maintenance of the function of the neural retinal and in the development of various retina degenerations. We investigated molecular mechanisms involved in this function by assessing apoptosis in RPE cells following serum deprivation. Apoptosis induced by serum withdrawal is lower in aged RPE cells because of higher endogenous acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF1) synthesis and secretion. These experiments examined several aspects of FGF signaling and the contribution of endogenous FGF1 to activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2). In aged RPE cells, FGFR1 was rapidly activated, and its autophosphorylation followed the kinetics of endogenous FGF1 secretion, before the onset of apoptosis. ERK2 phosphorylation, activity, and de novo synthesis increased at the same time. In marked contrast, no de novo JNK1 synthesis was observed. MEK1 inhibition resulted in lower levels of ERK2 activation and synthesis and higher levels of apoptosis. Treatment with neutralizing anti-FGF1 or blocking anti-FGFR1 antibodies mimics these effects. Thus, this study strongly suggests that the survival-increasing effect of FGF1 in aged RPE cells is because of an autocrine/paracrine loop in which the ERK2 cascade plays a pivotal role.
Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs)1 are a family of at least 15 polypeptides that stimulate growth and differentiation in cells of various mesenchymal and ectodermal origins. (for reviews, see Refs. 1-5). Acidic FGF (FGF1) and basic FGF (FGF2) are the prototype members of this family. FGF1 and 2 lack a classic signal peptide (6, 7), implying that they are not secreted by the classical secretion pathway. There is evidence that FGF1 and 2 are exported from the cell and subsequently act as autocrine or paracrine factors (8, 9). FGF1 and 2 exert their effects via high affinity tyrosine kinase receptors (FGFR1-FGFR4) (for reviews, see Refs. 10 -12) and via lower affinity heparan sulfate proteoglycan binding sites (13-15). FGFR activation causes tyrosine phosphorylation of the receptor itself, intracellular proteins including phospholipase C␥ (PLC␥) (16), extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) (17), and of several uncharacterized proteins of [80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90]19). All cell layers in normal adult retina produce FGF1, as cells no longer differentiate or proliferate. The pattern of FGF1 production suggests that FGF1 may be involved in the regulation of specific spatiotemporal events, including proliferation, migration, differentiation and survival in the retina. In vivo, despite the presence of FGFs in the retinal interphotoreceptor matrix, RPE cells have a limited proliferation capacity consistent with the normal increase in retinal space associated with growth and age. In adult, RPE cells cannot divide in vivo, but they may still require survival factors to inhibit their apoptosis. Cell survival and proliferation may be determined by the amount of factor available and the amount of receptor produc...