Proteome changes in retinal Mueller glial cells from a spontaneous equine model for autoimmune uveitis compared to healthy controls

Retinal Müller glial cells (RMG) play a central role in retinal neuroinflammation, actively participating in the immune response and adopting a dynamic inflammatory phenotype. However, the precise functions of RMG in retinal inflammation remain incompletely understood. In this study, we investigated the proteome of RMG isolated from healthy horses and horses affected by equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). ERU serves as a unique spontaneous model of autoimmune uveitis, exhibiting key clinical and pathophysiological features observed in humans, such as a relapsing-remitting course of disease and a CD4+ T cell-driven autoimmune etiology [1, 2]. To gain insights into the molecular landscape of RMG in a spontaneous animal model of autoimmune uveitis and their potential contribution to retinal autoimmune neuroinflammation, we used discovery proteomics for the analysis of RMG from healthy horses and horses with ERU. Our data are not only relevant to veterinary medicine but also hold significant translational value for human ophthalmology as well. References: [1] Deeg, C.A., et al., Uveitis in horses induced by interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein is similar to the spontaneous disease. Eur J Immunol, 2002. 32(9): p. 2598-606. https://doi.org/10.1002/1521-4141(200209)32:9<2598::AID-IMMU2598>3.0.CO;2-%23 [2] Deeg, C.A., et al., CRALBP is a highly prevalent autoantigen for human autoimmune uveitis. Clin Dev Immunol, 2007. 2007: p. 39245. https://doi.org/10.1155/2007/39245