Human embryonic stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles alleviate retinal degeneration by upregulating Oct4 to promote retinal Müller cell retrodifferentiation via HSP90.

Objective Retinal degenerative diseases remain the dominant causes of blindness worldwide, and cell replacement is viewed as a promising therapeutic direction. However, the resources of seed cells are hard to obtain. To further explore this therapeutic approach, human embryonic stem extracellular vesicles (hESEVs) were extracted from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to inspect its effect and the possible mechanism on retinal Muller cells and retinal function. Methods hESEVs were extracted by multi-step differential centrifugation, whose morphologies and specific biomarkers (TSG101, CD9, CD63, and CD81) were observed and measured. After hESEVs were injected into the vitreous cavity of RCS rats, the retinal tissues and retinal functions of rats were assessed. The alteration of Muller cells and retinal progenitor cells was also recorded. Microvesicles (MVs) or exosomes (EXOs) were extracted from hESCs transfected with sh-HSP90 or pcDNA3.1-HSP9, and then incubated with Muller cells to measure the uptake of EVs, MVs, or EXOs in Muller cells by immunofluorescence. The retrodifferentiation of Muller cells was determined by measuring Vimentin and CHX10. qRT-PCR and western blot were used to detect HSP90 expression in MVs and evaluate Oct4 level in Muller cells, and Co-IP to inspect the interaction of HSP90 and Oct4. Results RCS rats at the postnatal 30 days had increased retinal progenitor cells which were dedifferentiated from Muller cells. hESEVs were successfully extracted from hESCs, evidenced by morphology observation and positive expressions of specific biomarkers (TSG101, CD9, CD63, and CD81). hESEVs promoted Muller cells dedifferentiated and retrodifferentiated into retinal progenitor cells evidenced by the existence of a large amount of CHX10-positive cells in the retinal inner layer of RCS rats in response to hESEV injection. The promotive role of hESEVs was exerted by MVs demonstrated by elevated fluorescence intensity of CHX10 and suppressed Vimentin fluorescence intensity in MVs rather than in EXOs. HSP90 in MVs inhibited the retrodifferentiation of Muller cells and suppressed the expression level of Oct4 in Muller cells. Co-IP revealed that HSP90 can target Oct4 in Muller cells. Conclusion hESEVs could promote the retrodifferentiation of Muller cells into retinal progenitor cells by regulating the expression of Oct4 in Muller cells by HSP90 mediation in MVs.