Effect of Ref-1 redox inhibition with APX2009 on gene expression in human retinal endothelial cells

Ischemic retinopathies, such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), are characterized by abnormal retinal neovascularization. Current therapeutic interventions for these diseases include intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF biologics, which face multiple limitations due to variable patient response and utilization of alternative pathways to promote angiogenesis. APE1/Ref-1, a protein with both DNA endonuclease and redox regulatory functions, may be a novel therpautic target for proliferative retinopathies, because the redox function of Ref-1 modulates multiple signaling pathways involved in angiogenesis and inflammation. Here, we aimed to identify novel signaling pathways regulated by Ref-1 redox activity using RNA sequencing of human retinal endothelial cells treated with Ref-1 redox inhibitor APX2009. Overall design: RNA-seq profiling of human retinal endothelial cells after 6 hour treatment with 1% DMSO under normoxic conditions or 10mM APX2009 treatment under normoxic conditions.