Fabiola Biasella
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Research Interests
Fabiola Biasella has a total of 5 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Bernhard Heinrich Friedrich Weber
Institute of Human Genetics, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
1 shared publication - Christina Kiel
Institute of Human Genetics, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
1 shared publication - International AMD Genomics Consortium (IAMDGC)
John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
1 shared publication - Tobias Strunz
Institute of Human Genetics, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
1 shared publication - Ulrike Friedrich
Institute of Human Genetics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
Vitronectin and Its Interaction with PAI-1 Suggests a Functional Link to Vascular Changes in AMD Pathobiology
The pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a frequent disorder of the central retina, is incompletely understood. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) suggest a strong contribution of genomic variation in AMD susceptibility. Nevertheless, little is known about biological mechanisms of the disease. We reported previously that the AMD-associated polymorphism rs704C > T in the vitronectin (VTN) gene influences protein expression and functional aspects of encoded vitronectin, a human blood and extracellular matrix (ECM) protein. Here, we refined the association of rs704 with AMD in 16,144 cases and 17,832 controls and noted that rs704 is carried exclusively by the neovascular AMD subtype. Interaction studies demonstrate that rs704 affects the ability of vitronectin to bind the angiogenic regulator plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) but has no influence on stabilizing its active state. Western blot analysis and confocal imaging reveal a strong enrichment of PAI-1 in the ECM of cultured endothelial cells and RPE cell line ARPE-19 exposed to vitronectin. Large-scale gene expression of VTN and PAI-1 showed positive correlations and a statistically significant increase in human retinal and blood tissues aged 60 years and older. Our results suggest a mechanism by which the AMD-associated rs704 variant in combination with ageing may contribute to the vascular complications in AMD.
Open AccessVitronectin and Its Interaction with PAI-1 Suggests a Functional Link to Vascular Changes in AMD Pathobiology
The pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a frequent disorder of the central retina, is incompletely understood. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) suggest a strong contribution of genomic variation in AMD susceptibility. Nevertheless, little is known about biological mechanisms of the disease. We reported previously that the AMD-associated polymorphism rs704C > T in the vitronectin (VTN) gene influences protein expression and functional aspects of encoded vitronectin, a human blood and extracellular matrix (ECM) protein. Here, we refined the association of rs704 with AMD in 16,144 cases and 17,832 controls and noted that rs704 is carried exclusively by the neovascular AMD subtype. Interaction studies demonstrate that rs704 affects the ability of vitronectin to bind the angiogenic regulator plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) but has no influence on stabilizing its active state. Western blot analysis and confocal imaging reveal a strong enrichment of PAI-1 in the ECM of cultured endothelial cells and RPE cell line ARPE-19 exposed to vitronectin. Large-scale gene expression of VTN and PAI-1 showed positive correlations and a statistically significant increase in human retinal and blood tissues aged 60 years and older. Our results suggest a mechanism by which the AMD-associated rs704 variant in combination with ageing may contribute to the vascular complications in AMD.