Thursday, October 30, 2025 10/30/2025

Outer Segment tip ingestion by the RPE

Award Number: R01EY036104
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/01/2025
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2028

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Outer Segment tip ingestion by the RPE - Project Summary An important function of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is to ingest and degrade outer segment (OS) disk membranes from the photoreceptor cells. This catabolic role in the turnover of the phototransductive disk membranes is essential for the viability of the photoreceptor cells, with defects in the underlying processes leading to retinal pathogenesis. The proposed research focuses on the first event: the ingestion of the OS tips. We have developed high-speed live-cell imaging of this dynamic process by primary RPE cells. 3D analyses show that following formation of an f-actin cup around the OS tip, transient foci of actin filaments form at the site of scission of the OS, indicating that OS tip ingestion occurs by trogocytosis, involving dynamic polymerization of actin. The first two specific aims will combine studies on primary RPE cells in culture and in vivo analyses to investigate molecular mechanisms associated with the actin polymerization in this ingestion. The third aim addresses the daily timing of OS tip ingestion by performing experiments in which this event can be quantified by isolating it from the effects of phagosome degradation on phagosome number. The proposed experiments challenge current assumptions about how the OS tips are ingested by the RPE, and the daily timing of this cellular process. They are expected to generate novel findings that will establish a more accurate fundamental understanding of mechanisms underlying OS tip ingestion.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $475,442 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Vision Research	000	1	12/30/2024	NEW	$475,442
														Subtotal = $475,442

Grand Total All Awards = $475,442

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Outer Segment tip ingestion by the RPE

Award Number: R01EY036104

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/01/2025

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2028

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